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Differential gene expression between visceral and subcutaneous fat depots.
G Atzmon1, X M Yang, R Muzumdar
1Institute for Aging Research & Diabetes Research and Training Center Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
Hormone and Metabolic Research = Hormon- Und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones Et Metabolisme
|March 28, 2003
Summary
Visceral fat (VF) and subcutaneous fat (SC) are biologically distinct. Gene expression differences in VF and SC fat highlight their unique roles in metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Biology
- Molecular Endocrinology
Background:
- Abdominal obesity is associated with insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2).
- Surgical removal of visceral fat (VF) in rodent models prevents insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, establishing a causal link between VF and metabolic syndrome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the biological differences between visceral fat (VF) and subcutaneous fat (SC) depots.
- To identify genes with differential expression between VF and SC tissues.
Main Methods:
- Gene expression profiling using Affymetrix arrays on mRNA from rat perirenal visceral (VF) and subcutaneous (SC) fat.
- Validation of key gene expression changes using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
Main Results:
- Out of 1,660 expressed genes, 297 (17.9%) showed at least a two-fold difference in expression between VF and SC fat.
- Identified 20 genes with higher expression in VF (3-7 fold) and 20 genes with higher expression in SC (3-150 fold), many involved in glucose homeostasis, insulin action, and lipid metabolism.
- Confirmed increased expression of insulin resistance-related genes (PPARgamma, leptin, angiotensinogen, PAI-1) in VF and demonstrated significantly higher resistin (12-fold) and adiponectin (4-fold) expression in VF.
Conclusions:
- Visceral fat and subcutaneous fat are biologically distinct tissue depots.
- Differential gene expression patterns underscore unique roles in metabolic regulation and disease pathogenesis.