ER Stress and Lipogenesis: A Slippery Slope toward Hepatic Steatosis

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response have been linked to many human disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Rutkowski et al. (2008) show that unresolved ER stress contributes to metabolic dysfunction and hepatic steatosis.