Christoph Buettner, MD, PhD Email Christoph Buettner
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- Position
- ADJUNCT PROFESSOR | Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease
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- Language
- English
The Buettner Laboratory for Metabolism and Diabetes is studying how and why obesity and diabetes disturb glucose and fat metabolism, impair the action of the hormone insulin, are associated with inflammation and what the role of the brain is in this metabolic dysregulation. One emphasis has been to define brain insulin action in regulating specific metabolic pathways in peripheral organs such as liver and fat, and how nutrients in turn can affect brain function and inflammation. A variety of conditions/diseases impair the regulation of metabolism through the CNS such as Alzheimers, psychiatric diseases, alcohol consumption and stress impair the ability of the brain to control metabolism. In obesity and diabetes the ability of the brain to process important signals from the periphery such as sensing hormones and nutrients is similarly impaired and a major goal of the lab is to restore metabolic control in these conditions by the brain. Approaches that are commonly applied in the lab are to study nutrient partitioning using metabolic tracers during euglycemic clamps in rodents that allow the simultaneous assessment of lipid, glucose and amino acid fluxes. These physiological study techniques are complemented by transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic analysis to arrive at a molecular understanding of how the brain controls nutrient fluxes in peripheral organs such as liver and adipose tissue.
Team: Andy Shin, PhD Henry Ruiz, PhD Ling Wang, BS Elaine Dellinger, BA Keval Shah, MD Stefanie Chen, MS
Research Topic
Adipose, Brain, Diabetes, Hormones, Inflammation, Insulin, Knockout Mice, Liver, Mass Spectrometry, Mitochondria, Obesity
Multi-Disciplinary Training Area
Neuroscience [NEU]
Education
MD, Ludwig Maximillians University
PhD, Ludwig Maximillians University
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Residency, Bellevue Hospital and New York Harbor Health Care Systems, NYU
Clinical Fellowship, Albert Einstein College and Montefiore Hospital
Language
English
2012
Elected to American Society of Clinical Investigation
2012
Mount Sinai Endocrinologist of the Year
2011
Career Development Award
American Diabetes Association
2010
Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award
2009
Hirschl Award
Hirschl Trust
2007
New York Academy of Science Fellowship Award
2006
Junior Faculty Award
American Diabetes Association
2006
KO8 Award
NIDDK
Our interest is to understand how hormones and nutrients are sensed by the hypothalamus and how the brain controls systemic metabolism. In rodent models of obesity and in type 2 diabetes this brain control of metabolism is impaired and we believe this dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of both of these conditions. Interestingly, diabetes and obesity are associated with a pro-inflammatory state. We have found that hormones like insulin and leptin regulate systemic inflammation via the brain and the autonomic nervous system and speculate that this may be the basis for the link between impaired metabolic control and inflammation. A commonly used approach in our lab is to study nutrient fluxes with clamp studies combined with metabolic tracers in rodents.
Type 2 diabetes and obesity are both characterized by impaired metabolic regulation and insulin resistance is a central cause in both of these conditions. The Buettner lab studies the regulation of metabolism and innate immunity through the central nervous system. We employ integrated physiology approaches to deconstruct the role of the brain in orchestrating organ crosstalk such as nutrient flux between adipose tissue and the liver and its relevance in regulating insulin action. A commonly used approach of my lab is to study nutrient partitioning using metabolic tracers during clamps in rodents that allow the simultaneous assessment of lipid, glucose and amino acid fluxes. These physiological study techniques are complemented by transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic techniques to arrive at a molecular understanding of how the brain controls nutrient fluxes in peripheral organs such as liver and adipose tissue. Previous work from my lab has established that hypothalamic leptin and insulin signaling play important roles in the regulation of adipose tissue lipolysis and lipogenesis. Further, our results obtained so far indicate that hypothalamic insulin and leptin play important roles in regulating hepatic glucose production, VLDL secretion, amino acid metabolism and systemic inflammation. In obesity and diabetes hypothalamic insulin action is impaired in part through increased endocannabinoid tone in the brain, resulting in dysregulated nutrient partitioning and a pro-inflammatory state. Go to the Buettner Laboratory for Metabolism and Diabetes