The research in the Brownsey Laboratory is directed to understanding the molecular mechanisms by which hormones bring about changes in cell metabolism and function. Our work is especially concentrated on the mechanism of insulin action on fatty acid synthesis and on the key lipogenic enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The effects of insulin on fat synthesis, like those on other pathways, occur very rapidly after the binding of the hormone to specific receptor proteins in the plasma membrane. This hormone-receptor complex induces a complex set of intracellular signals which result in changes in the properties of key metabolic regulatory proteins including glucose transporters, glycogen synthase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, hormone-sensitive lipase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase.