Adipose Tissue Gene Expression of Factors Related to Lipid Processing in Obesity

Abstract

BackgroundAdipose tissue lipid storage and processing capacity can be a key factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Lipid uptake is the first step to adipose tissue lipid storage. The aim of this study was to analyze the gene expression of factors involved in lipid uptake and processing in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue according to body mass index (BMI) and the degree of insulin resistance (IR).Methods and Principal FindingsVLDL receptor (VLDLR), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), acylation stimulating protein (ASP), LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) gene expression was measured in VAT and SAT from 28 morbidly obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) or high IR, 10 morbidly obese patients with low IR, 10 obese patients with low IR and 12 lean healthy controls. LPL, FABP4, LRP1 and ASP expression in VAT was higher in lean controls. In SAT, LPL and FABP4 expression were also higher in lean controls. BMI, plasma insulin levels and HOMA-IR correlated negatively with LPL expression in both VAT and SAT as well as with FABP4 expression in VAT. FABP4 gene expression in SAT correlated inversely with BMI and HOMA-IR. However, multiple regression analysis showed that BMI was the main variable contributing to LPL and FABP4 gene expression in both VAT and SAT.ConclusionsMorbidly obese patients have a lower gene expression of factors related with lipid uptake and processing in comparison with healthy lean persons.

EPA prevents fat mass expansion and metabolic disturbances in mice fed with a Western diet

“…Supporting these assumptions, we did not observe significant differences between groups in mRNA level of markers of nonadipocyte cells, suggesting no interference of other cell types with the DNA quantification procedure. Furthermore, the decreased Fabp4 expression in mice receiving the HF-D diet is in agreement with an IR state, fat cell hypertrophy, and changes in body composition as described in humans (25,26).…”

Significant Differences in Effects of Sitagliptin Treatment on Body Weight and Lipid Metabolism Between Obese and Non-Obese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

“…Lipolysis of TG-rich lipoproteins is impaired in obesity by reduced expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mRNA in adipose tissue [3]. Elevated TG induces delayed clearance of TG-rich lipoproteins, and increases formation of small dense LDL [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…Age was not also significantly correlated with change in serum TG (r = -0.04, P = 0.62) in all participants including obese and non-obese patients. Body weight loss may ameliorate insulin resistance, and subsequently may increase expression of LPL which led to reduction in TG among obese people [2,3,18]. To understand the effects of sitagliptin on serum lipids precisely and validly, further studies, preferably with larger numbers of subjects in fasting state, will be needed.…”

A Novel Polymorphism of VLDLR Signal Peptide Coding Region and Its Association with Growth and Abdominal Fat Traits of Gaoyou Domestic Ducks

“…The same principle applies to humans: those with VLDLR gene mutations have lower body weight compared with the control group (Boycott et al, 2005;Crawford et al, 2008). Therefore, VLDLR were confirmed to be associated with body weight and obesity in humans and mice (Brockmann et al, 1998;Kunej et al, 2012;Clemente-Postigo et al, 2011). In overweight humans, it was observed that VLDLR were significantly upregulated and their expression levels were probably closely linked to the molecular markers of obesity phenotype (Kim et al, 2012).…”