Special remarks: No crossreactivity with adiponectin receptor 1 but
crossreacts with the mouse receptor.

It has been reported that mast cells secrete various bioactive substances (adipokines), in addition to serving as a place for energy storage. Adiponectin has been shown to be one of the adiopkines possessing anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory actions. It was recently shown that the blood adiponectin levels were reduced in cases of obesity. As a result, adiponectin has been attracting close attention as a factor playing a central role in the development of the metabolic syndrome. More recently, adiponectin receptors, Adiponectin Receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and Adiponectin Receptor 2 (AdipoR2) have been identified, inviting very close attention. AdipoR2 is expressed particularly prominently in the liver. Unlike the G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) reported previously, AdipoR2 can be topologically characterized by an intracellular N-terminal and extracellular C-terminal. Structurally, this receptor seems to belong to a new family of receptors different from the GPCR. AdipoR2 serves as a receptor for globular adiponectin and full-length adiponectin, and has been shown to transmit signals for the stimulation of fat burning, etc., through activation of PPARα and the AMP kinase. Measurement of AdipoR2 is expected to be useful in not only diabetes-related research, but also research on inflammation, atherosclerosis and, as has been shown more recently, tumors.