No abstract

To examine whether fatty acid transport is abnormal in obesity, the kinetics of [ 3 H]oleate uptake by hepatocytes, cardiac myocytes, and adipocytes from adult male Wistar (؉/؉), Zucker lean (fa/؉) and fatty (fa/fa), and Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were studied. A tissuespecific increase in oleate uptake was found in fa/fa and ZDF adipocytes, in which the V max was increased 9-fold (p < 0.005) and 13-fold (p < 0.001), respectively. This increase greatly exceeded the 2-fold increase in the surface area of adipocytes from obese animals, and did not result from trans-stimulation secondary to increased lipolysis. Adipocyte tumor necrosis factor-␣ mRNA levels, assayed by Northern hybridization, increased in the order ؉/؉ < fa/fa < ZDF. Oleate uptake was also studied in adipocytes from 20 -24-day-old male ؉/؉, fa/؉, and fa/fa weanlings. These animals were not obese, and had equivalent plasma fatty acid and glucose levels. Tumor necrosis factor-␣ mRNA levels in ؉/؉ and fa/fa cells also were similar. Nevertheless, V max was increased 2.9-fold (p < 0.005) in fa/fa compared ؉/؉ cells. These studies indicate 1) that regulation of fatty acid uptake is tissuespecific and 2) that up-regulation of adipocyte fatty acid uptake is an early event in Zucker fa/fa rats. These findings are independent of the role of any particular fatty acid transporter. Adipocyte mRNA levels of three putative transporters, mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, fatty acid translocase, and fatty acid transporting protein (FATP) were also determined; mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase and FATP mRNAs correlated strongly with fatty acid uptake.

We conducted a joint (pooled) analysis of three genome-wide association studies (GWAS) 1-3 of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in ethnic Chinese (5,337 ESCC cases and 5,787 controls) with 9,654 ESCC cases and 10,058 controls for follow-up. In a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, study, and two eigenvectors, two new loci achieved genome-wide significance, marked by rs7447927 at 5q31.2 (per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% CI 0.82-0.88; P=7.72x10−20) and rs1642764 at 17p13.1 (per-allele OR= 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91; P=3.10x10−13). rs7447927 is a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TMEM173 and rs1642764 is an intronic SNP in ATP1B2, near TP53. Furthermore, a locus in the HLA class II region at 6p21.32 (rs35597309) achieved genome-wide significance in the two populations at highest risk for ESSC (OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.46; P=1.99x10−10). Our joint analysis identified new ESCC susceptibility loci overall as well as a new locus unique to the ESCC high risk Taihang Mountain region.

A relationship between plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein (FABPpm), a putative membrane transporter for long-chain fatty acids, and the mitochondrial isoform of aspartate aminotransferase (m-AspAT) has been reported. Accordingly, we have compared the chemical and immunological properties of rat liver m-AspAT with those of rat liver FABPpm isolated by two procedures: 1) detergent solubilization of the membranes followed by purification via fatty acid affinity chromatography (FABP-1) or 2) salt extraction of the membranes and subsequent purification by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; FABP-2). Comparison of the three protein preparations revealed no differences with respect to NH2-terminal amino acid sequence, amino acid composition, peptides from tryptic digests, AspAT enzymatic activity, isoelectric point, mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), retention on five different HPLC columns, and immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting of SDS-PAGE separated proteins with polyclonal antisera. Examination of the proteins by nondenaturing PAGE showed a consistent second band in FABP-1 and FABP-2 not always present in m-AspAT. However, whenever present, this band was immunoreactive with antibodies to both m-AspAT and FABP-1. Hence, FABP-1 and FABP-2 are indistinguishable from one another. They are also at least closely related, if not identical, to m-AspAT.

The hepatic plasma membrane fatty acidbinding protein (h-FABPpM) [14C]taurocholate. The inhibition of oleate uptake produced by anti-h-FABPpM can be eliminated by preincubation of the antiserum with mGOT; similarly, the plasma membrane immunofluorescence produced by either antiserum can be elimiated by preincubation with the other antigen. These data suggest that h-FABPpM and mGOT are closely related.

To explore the relationship between mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mAspAT; EC 2.6.1.1) and plasma membrane fatty acid-binding protein (FABPpm) and their role in cellular fatty acid uptake, 3T3 fibroblasts were cotransfected with plasmid pMAAT2, containing a fulllength mAspAT cDNA downstream of a Zn2+-inducible metal-

MS, Smas CM.Functional analysis of FSP27 protein regions for lipid droplet localization, caspase-dependent apoptosis, and dimerization with CIDEA. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 297: E1395-E1413, 2009. First published October 20, 2009 doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00188.2009.-The adipocytespecific protein FSP27, also known as CIDEC, is one of three cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector (CIDE) proteins. The first known function for CIDEs was promotion of apoptosis upon ectopic expression in mammalian cells. Recent studies in endogenous settings demonstrated key roles for CIDEs in energy metabolism. FSP27 is a lipid droplet-associated protein whose heterologous expression enhances formation of enlarged lipid droplets and is required for unilocular lipid droplets typical of white adipocytes in vivo. Here, we delineate relationships between apoptotic function and lipid droplet localization of FSP27. We demonstrate that ectopic expression of FSP27 induces enlarged lipid droplets in multiple human cell lines, which is indicative that its mechanism involves ubiquitously present, rather than adipocyte-specific, cellular machinery. Furthermore, promotion of lipid droplet formation in HeLa cells via culture in exogenous oleic acid offsets FSP27-mediated apoptosis. Using transient cotransfections and analysis of lipid droplets in HeLa cells stably expressing FSP27, we show that FSP27 does not protect lipid droplets from action of ATGL lipase. Domain mapping with eGFP-FSP27 deletion constructs indicates that lipid droplet localization of FSP27 requires amino acids 174 -192 of its CIDE C domain. The apoptotic mechanism of FSP27, which we show involves caspase-9 and mitochondrial cytochrome c, also requires this 19-amino acid region. Interaction assays determine the FSP27 CIDE C domain complexes with CIDEA, and Western blot reveals that FSP27 protein levels are reduced by coexpression of CIDEA. Overall, our findings demonstrate the function of the FSP27 CIDE C domain and/or regions thereof for apoptosis, lipid droplet localization, and CIDEA interaction.fat-specific protein 27; cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector A; adipose OBESITY AND ITS RELATED COMORBIDITIES are approaching epidemic levels (1, 9). The development of new therapeutic inroads to treat these conditions would be greatly facilitated by a full understanding of lipid homeostasis (35,36). Lipotoxicity is a highly detrimental outcome of the obese state, leading to derangement of cell function and/or cell death in various tissues (34,35,37). White adipocytes present in white adipose tissue are the major site storage of excess energy in the form of triacylglycerol, contained within intracellular lipid droplets (7,38). Efficient storage of excess fatty acids within adipocyte lipid droplets also serves to protect other cells and tissues from their lipotoxic effects (7, 38). Lipid droplets are highly dynamic organelles consisting of a neutral lipid core, a phospholipid monolayer, and a large number of lipid droplet-associated proteins (7, 38). The role for the vast majority ...

Hepatic steatosis results from several processes. To assess their relative roles, hepatocellular long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) uptake was assayed in hepatocytes from C57BL/6J control mice, mice with steatosis from a high-fat diet (HFD) or 10%, 14%, or 18% ethanol (EtOH) in drinking water [functioning leptin-signaling groups (FLSGs)], and ob/ob and db/db mice. V(max) for uptake was increased vs. controls (P < 0.001) and correlated significantly with liver weight and triglycerides (TGs) in all FLSG mice but was minimally or not increased in ob/ob and db/db mice, in which liver weights and TGs greatly exceeded projections from regressions in FLSG animals. Coefficients of determination (R(2)) for these FLSG regressions suggest that increased LCFA uptake accounts for ∼80% of the increase in hepatic TGs within these groups, but increased lipogenic gene expression data suggest that enhanced LCFA synthesis is the major contributor in ob/ob and db/db. Got2, Cd36, Slc27a2, and Slc27a5 gene expression ratios were significantly upregulated in the EtOH groups, correlating with sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and V(max), but only Cd36 expression was increased in HFD, ob/ob, and db/db mice. Comparison of V(max) with serum insulin and leptin suggests that both hormones contribute to upregulation of uptake in the FLSG animals. Thus, increased LCFA uptake, reflecting SREBP1c-mediated upregulation of four distinct transporters, is the dominant cause of steatosis in EtOH-fed mice. In ob/ob and db/db mice, increased LCFA synthesis appears more important. In FLSG animals, insulin upregulates hepatocellular LCFA uptake. Leptin appears to upregulate LCFA uptake or to be essential for full expression of upregulation by insulin.