Epigenetic Regulation of Adipogenesis in Development of Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Obesity is one of the biggest public health concerns identified by an increase in adipose tissue mass as a result of adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Pertaining to the importance of adipose tissue in various biological processes, any alteration in its function results in impaired metabolic health. In this review, we discuss how adipose tissue maintains the metabolic health through secretion of various adipokines and inflammatory mediators and how its dysfunction leads to the development of severe metabolic disorders and influences cancer progression. Impairment in the adipocyte function occurs due to individuals’ genetics and/or environmental factor(s) that largely affect the epigenetic profile leading to altered gene expression and onset of obesity in adults. Moreover, several crucial aspects of adipose biology, including the regulation of different transcription factors, are controlled by epigenetic events. Therefore, understanding the intricacies of adipogenesis is crucial for recognizing its relevance in underlying disease conditions and identifying the therapeutic interventions for obesity and metabolic syndrome.

A Mixture of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Associated with Lower Birth Weight in Children Induces Adipogenesis and DNA Methylation Changes in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…Six hypomethylated DMRs mapped to six genes were identified upon exposure to Mix G1 1X. Remarkably, four of these genes are linked to adipogenesis, adipose tissue function, birthweight, or obesity [67][68][69][70][71]94,95]. The most significant DMRs overlap with the promoter region of the PM20D1 (peptidase M20 domain containing 1) gene.…”

“…Expression of HOXA11AS and HOXA5 positively regulates adipocyte differentiations [67,68]. While PM20D1 codes for the enzyme PM20D1, a newly identified regulator of thermogenesis and glucose homeostasis [69,70]. Lastly, expression of RPL28 gene has previously been identified to have a negative correlation with BMI [71].…”

Regulatory mechanisms of the early phase of white adipocyte differentiation: an overview

“…Notably, adipose tissue stem cell transition to preadipocytes is not associated to significant morphological changes, rather to biochemical, genetic, and metabolic rearrangements; these include F-actin fibers breakdown and F-actin rearrangement to preadipocyte periphery (step 3), mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion associated to increased metabolic performance (step 4), and epigenetic events occurring on both DNA, histones and RNA (step 5). Among the main epigenetic modification, histone phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation and ubiquitination together with DNA and RNA methylation have been demonstrated as important regulatory steps of adipogenesis [ 72 , 120 , 121 ] …”

Zebrafish and Flavonoids: Adjuvants against Obesity

“…The zebrafish is an excellent model for studying obesity because it has major organs that are important for regulating energy metabolism in mammals, including digestive organs, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, in addition to the conservation of ortholog, appetite, insulin regulation and lipid storage, genes [ 32 , 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”