Diabetes Related Ankyrin Repeat Protein (DARP)

ANKRD23 belongs to the conserved muscle ankyrin repeat protein (MARP) family. Expression of MARPs is induced in response to physiologic stress, injury, and hypertrophy .

Darp was upregulated in the heart of the KKA(y) mouse, a type-2 diabetes and insulin resistance model. Darp expression was also altered in the insulin-resistant Zucker rat. Expression of mouse Darp in Chinese hamster ovary cells resulted in significantly decreased palmitate uptake. Furthermore, Darp expression was altered by changes of energy supply induced by excess fatty acid treatment of skeletal myotubes in vitro and in fasting mice in vivo. The deduced 305-amino acid protein has an N-terminal nuclear localization signal and 4 C-terminal ankyrin repeats.