Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was initially discovered as a cellular protein involved in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds. Recently, Kou and Dai [1] wrote a concise review on AHR, summarizing advances in several important areas of mammalian physiology including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, integumentary, nervous, and immunomodulatory systems. Given the importance of AHR and our increased understanding of its physiological roles, it is necessary to highlight a few key aspects of AhR in normal development and metabolic homeostasis that have not been extensively discussed.

The protein hormone adiponectin regulates glucose and fatty acid metabolism by binding to two PAQR-family receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2). Both receptors feature a C-terminal segment which is released by proteolysis to form a freely circulating C-terminal fragment (CTF) found in the plasma of normal individuals but not in some undefined diabetes patients.

Diabetes is a complex, multi-symptomatic disease whose complications drives increases in healthcare costs as the diabetes prevalence grows rapidly world-wide. Real-world electronic health records (EHRs) coupled with patient biospecimens, biological understanding, and technologies can characterize emerging diagnostic autoimmune markers resulting from proteomic discoveries.

The significance of KIR like natural killer cell receptors in autoimmune disorders was published by us in the year 2020 in a reputed journal “Clinical Immunology”. In this issue we have discussed the complex nature of autoimmune diseases revealing a multi-factorial etiology that involves a combination of genetic and environmental factors

Transient receptor potential (TRP) family is a large superfamily of widely expressed ion channels. In recent years, several studies have been conducted on the mechanism of action of TRP. However, studies on the role of TRP in liver diseases are limited. In fact, TRP plays a vital role in the progression of many liver diseases, such as hepatic fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, alcoholic fatty liver disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.