Endothelium-dependent delivery of insulin to muscle interstitium

Insulin contributes to skeletal muscle glucose uptake by increasing blood flow and recruiting perfused capillaries. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Kubota et al. (2011) show that deletion of IRS-2 in endothelial cells in mice causes impaired transcapillary insulin transport, decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscle, and mild glucose intolerance.