Interests

     The overall goal of my research is to understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of insulin resistance and diabetes. My current research is focused on elucidating the role phospholipase A2 plays in regulating insulin-stimulated glucose transport in peripheral tissues by using cell culture and gene-knockout mouse models.

Selected Publications

• Huggins, K.W., L.M. Camarota, P.N. Howles, and D.Y. Hui. Pancreatic Triglyceride Lipase Deficiency Minimally Affects Dietary Fat Absorption but Dramatically Decreases Dietary Cholesterol Absorption in Mice. J. Biol. Chem. In Press, 2003.
  
  
• Huggins, K.W., A.C. Boileau, and D.Y. Hui. Protection against diet-induced obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance in Group 1B PLA2-Deficient mice. Am. J. Physiol. 283: E994-E1001, 2002.
  
  
• Huggins K.W., P.L. Colvin, E.R. Burleson, K. Kelly, J.K. Sawyer, P.H.R. Barrett, L.L. Rudel, and J.S. Parks. Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fat increases the fractional catabolic rate of medium-sized high density lipoprotein particles in African green monkeys. J Lipid Res 42: 1457-1466, 2001.
  
  
• Richmond B.L., A.C. Boileau, S. Zheng, K.W. Huggins, N.A. Granholm, P. Tso, and D.Y. Hui. Compensatory phospholipid digestion is required for normal cholesterol absorption in pancreatic phospholipase A2 gene-targeted mice. Gastroenterology 120: 1193-1202, 2001.
  
  
• Parks J.S., K.W. Huggins, A.K. Gebre, and E.R. Burleson. Phosphatidylcholine fluidity and structure affect lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity. J Lipid Res 41: 546-553, 2000.
  
  
• Huggins K.W., L.K. Curtiss, A.K. Gebre, and J.S. Parks. Effect of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the sn-2 position of phosphatidylcholine on the interaction with recombinant high density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I. J Lipid Res 39:2423-2431, 1998.

Current Course Information

NUFS 2000 – Nutrition and Health NUFS 7050 – Methods of Research