Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award
Gregory Steinberg, PhD
Gregory Steinberg’s research has studied the fundamental mechanism by which energy sensing, endocrine factors, and commonly used medications regulate metabolism. During his PhD, he studied adipocyte-muscle communication and the development of skeletal muscle leptin resistance in obesity. His postdoctoral research extended these findings by identifying that inflammation could impair lipid metabolism in muscle and how the Il-6 family of cytokines can increase fatty acid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
Upon establishing his own laboratory, his research group identified that skeletal muscle AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was essential for maintaining exercise capacity and for mediating the effects of muscle contractions on glucose uptake, helping to explain how exercise lowers blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. His work in muscle also described the molecular underpinnings of the glucose-alanine cycle by showing that during prolonged fasting AMPK is required for the induction of autophagy and the breakdown of the gluconeogenic substrate alanine.
Collectively, Dr. Steinberg’s work has established new paradigms by which energy-sensing mechanisms and endocrine factors regulate multiple branches of metabolism. These findings have important implications for many chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
His research has extended beyond muscle to establish a vital role for lipid metabolism in regulating macrophage inflammation and for mediating the beneficial effects of salicylate-based drugs, findings that have important implications across many different disease conditions. Subsequent studies from his laboratory established that metformin improves insulin sensitivity through inhibition of liver lipogenesis and that importantly this effect can be enhanced when combined with salicylate. More recently, work in brown and beige adipose tissue has described that AMPK is vital for maintaining mitochondrial quality and that peripheral serotonin is an important endocrine factor that inhibits thermogenesis in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Collectively, Dr. Steinberg’s work has established new paradigms by which energy-sensing mechanisms and endocrine factors regulate multiple branches of metabolism. These findings have important implications for many chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
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