Myokine Biology
Diabetes and Metabolism
Myokine Biology https://www.garvan.org.au/research/diabetes-metabolism/myokine-biology https://www.garvan.org.au/@@site-logo/garvan-logo.svg
Our group is primarily interested in the biological role of the secreted proteome of skeletal muscle and other tissues in health and disease. We have demonstrated that skeletal muscle is a bona fide endocrine organ, capable of mediating tissue cross-talk via peptides or proteins termed myokines. Furthermore, in seminal works published in Cell Metabolism, we have introduced the paradigm of inter-tissue communication during exercise via nano-sized extracellular vesicles such as exosomes
Our group utilises cutting edge proteomics via LC-MS/MS, combined with intravital imaging and metabolic phenotyping to explore the biological effects of inter-tissue communication.
Since physical activity represents such a broad and effective preventative treatment for a host of non-communicable diseases, our aim is to characterise more closely the role of small vesicles, exosomes and peptides in inter-tissue signalling in health and disease.
Reibe, S, Hjorth, M, Febbraio, M.A, & Whitham, M. (2018) GeneXX: An Online Tool for the Exploration of Transcript Changes in Skeletal Muscle Associated with Exercise Physiol Genomics (in press) DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00127.2017
Whitham M, Parker BL, Friedrichsen M, Hingst JR, Hjorth M, Hughes WE, Egan CL, Cron LNN, Watt KI, Kuchel RP, Jayasooriah N, Estevez E, Petzold T, Suter CM, Gregorevic P, Kiens B, Richter EA, James DE, Wojtaszewski JFP, Febbraio MA (2018). Extracellular vesicles provide a means for tissue cross talk during exercise. Cell Metabolism 27: 237-251 7* Exceptional Recommendation
Whitham, M., Febbraio, M.A. (2016) The ever expanding myokinome: discovery challenges and therapeutic implications. Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery. 15: 719-729
Pal, M., Febbraio, M. A. & Whitham, M. (2014) From cytokine to myokine: the emerging role of interleukin-6 in metabolic regulation. Immunology and Cell Biology 92,331-339
Kraakman, M.J, Allen, T.L, Whitham, M, Iliades, P, Kammoun, H.L, Estevez, E, Lancaster, G.I, Febbraio, M.A (2013) Targeting gp130 to prevent inflammation and promote insulin action. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 15(suppl 3) 170-175
Whitham, M., Chan, M.H.S, Pal, M, Matthews, V.B, Prelovsek, O, Lunke, S, El-Osta, A, Broenneke, H, Alber, J, Bruning, J.C, Wunderlich, F.T, Lancaster, G.I & Febbraio, M.A (2012) Contraction induced IL-6 gene transcription in skeletal muscle is regulated by c-jun terminal kinase/Activator protein-1. Journal of Biological Chemistry 287 10771-10779. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.310581
Allen, T.L., Whitham, M. & Febbraio, M.A (2012) IL-6 muscles in on the gut and pancreas to enhance insulin secretion. Cell Metabolism 15(1) 8-9
Hansen, J., Brandt, C., Nielsen, A.R., Hojman, P., Whitham, M., Febbraio, M.A, Pedersen, B.K., and Plomgaard, P. (2011) Exercise induces a marked increase in plasma follistatin: evidence that follistatin is a contraction-induced hepatokine. Endocrinology 152(1), 164-71
Fortes, M.B. & Whitham, M. (2011) Salivary Hsp72 does not track exercise stress and caffeine stimulated plasma Hsp72 responses in humans. Cell Stress & Chaperones 16(3):345-52
Fortes, M.B. & Whitham, M. (2009) No endogenous circadian rhythm in resting plasma Hsp72 concentration in humans. Cell Stress and Chaperones (2009) 14(3): 273
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Dr Martin Whitham
Myokine Biology News
When we exercise, our muscles and other organs communicate via 'vesicles'