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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Currently there is tremendous interest in obesity and its harmful donsequences. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) along with waist girth are routinely used parameters. One snag in the interpretation of BMI >25 as a measure of obesity is the assumption that the increase is mainly due to fat. This review emphasizes the importance of assessing the muscle component of BMI (by simple somatoscopy or somatotyping). 75 percent of Indian T2DM patients have a normal or low BMI, only 25 percent have BMI >25, wherein muscle mass also contributes as well as fat. Hyperinsulinemia is anabolic to both fat and muscle. Since skeletal muscle is a primary site of insulin resistance, greater the muscle mass, greater the importance of physical exercise to overcome the insulin resistance and greater the importance of dietary supplement of n3-PUFA to optimize the phospholipid composition of the muscle membrane (increasing membrane fluidity and thereby permitting longer residence of GLUT-4 in the plasma membrane). I propose three testable hypotheses: (1) Brown fat (FDG-PET imaging) and UCP2 and UCP3 expression in muscle are positively correlated with ectomorphy and mesomorphy, and negatively correlated with endomorphy and obesity. BAT is absent in obese people. (2) Indian T2DM patients with normal or low BMI have increased UCP2 and UCP3 expession in their muscle, as well as increased high molecular weight adiponectin which promote fatty acid oxidation and prevent obesity. (3) Indian T2DM with BMI >25 and obesity have dysfunction of UCP2 and UCP3. They have high leptin with leptin resistance (induced by hyperinsulinemia) and low adiponectin. There is inverse relationship between adipose mass and adiponectin production.
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PMID:Fat and muscle component of body mass index (BMI): relation with hyperinsulinemia. 1759 32

Brown fat cells are specialized to dissipate energy and can counteract obesity; however, the transcriptional basis of their determination is largely unknown. We show here that the zinc-finger protein PRDM16 is highly enriched in brown fat cells compared to white fat cells. When expressed in white fat cell progenitors, PRDM16 activates a robust brown fat phenotype including induction of PGC-1alpha, UCP1, and type 2 deiodinase (Dio2) expression and a remarkable increase in uncoupled respiration. Transgenic expression of PRDM16 at physiological levels in white fat depots stimulates the formation of brown fat cells. Depletion of PRDM16 through shRNA expression in brown fat cells causes a near total loss of the brown characteristics. PRDM16 activates brown fat cell identity at least in part by simultaneously activating PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta through direct protein binding. These data indicate that PRDM16 can control the determination of brown fat fate.
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PMID:Transcriptional control of brown fat determination by PRDM16. 1761 55

Approximately 30% of patients with hypertension have hepatic steatosis, and it has recently been proposed that fatty liver be considered a feature of the metabolic syndrome. Obesity, diet, and level of physical activity are likely factors modulating risk for hepatic steatosis, however genetic factors could also influence susceptibility or resistance to fatty liver in hypertensive or normotensive subjects. In genetic studies in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Brown Norway (BN) rats, we discovered that a variant form of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (Srebf1 gene, SREBP-1 protein) underlies a quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing hepatic cholesterol levels in response to a high cholesterol diet. Compared with the BN allele of Srebf1, the SHR allele of Srebf1 includes variants in the promoter and coding regions that are linked to hepatic deficiency of SREBP-1 mRNA and protein, reduced expression of the SREBP-1 target gene stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, reduced promoter activity for SREBP-1c, and relative protection from dietary induced accumulation of liver cholesterol. Genetic correction of reduced SREBP-1 activity by derivation of congenic and transgenic strains of SHR increased hepatic cholesterol levels, thereby confirming Srebf1 as a QTL influencing hepatic lipid metabolism in the rat. The Srebf1 variant regulating hepatic cholesterol did not appear to affect blood pressure. These findings (1) are consistent with the results of association studies indicating that common polymorphisms affecting SREBP-1 may influence cholesterol synthesis in humans and (2) indicate that variation in Srebf1 may influence risk for hepatic steatosis.
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PMID:Identification of mutated Srebf1 as a QTL influencing risk for hepatic steatosis in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. 1807 Oct 61

The Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rat is a model of hyperphagic obesity in which the animals retain the desire to run voluntarily. Running wheels were provided for 4-wk-old OLETF rats for 16 wk before they were killed 5 h (WL5), 53 h (WL53), or 173 h (WL173) after the wheels were locked. Sedentary (SED) OLETF rats that were not given access to running wheels served as age-matched cohorts. Epididymal fat pad mass, adipocyte volume, and adipocyte number were 58%, 39%, and 47% less, respectively, in WL5 than SED rats. Contrary to cessation of daily running in Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats, epididymal fat did not increase during the first 173 h of running cessation in the OLETF runners. Serum insulin and glucose levels were 77% and 29% less, respectively, in WL5 than SED rats. Oil red O staining for intramyocellular lipid accumulation was not statistically different among groups. However, lipid peroxidation levels, as determined by total trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and 4-HNE normalized to oil red O, was higher in epitrochlearis muscles of SED than WL5, WL53, and WL173 rats. mRNA levels of glutathione S-transferase-alpha type 4, an enzyme involved in cellular defense against electrophilic compounds such as 4-HNE, were higher in epitrochlearis muscle of WL53 than WL173 and SED rats. In contrast, 4-HNE levels in omental fat were unaltered. Epitrochlearis muscle palmitate oxidation and relative transcript levels for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator type 1 were surprisingly not different between runners and SED rats. In summary, voluntary running was associated with lower levels of lipid peroxidation in skeletal muscle without significant changes in intramyocellular lipids or mitochondrial markers in OLETF rats at 20 wk of age. Therefore, even in a genetic animal model of extreme overeating, daily physical activity promotes improved health of skeletal muscle.
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PMID:Exercise-induced attenuation of obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and skeletal muscle lipid peroxidation in the OLETF rat. 1807 66

The metabolic syndrome (involving obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and a proinflammatory/prethrombotic state) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Its incidence continues to rise, in part because of the epidemic increase in obesity. The Lyon hypertensive (LH) rat is a model for hypertension and several other features of the metabolic syndrome, having high body weight, plasma cholesterol, and triglycerides, increased insulin-to-glucose ratio, and salt-sensitive hypertension. Previous genetic studies in LH/Mav rats and a normotensive control (LN/Mav) identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on rat chromosome (RNO)17 for multiple features of the metabolic syndrome. To further evaluate the role of RNO17 in the LH rat, we generated a consomic strain (LH-17(BN)) by substituting LH RNO17 with that of the sequenced Brown Norway (BN/NHsdMcwi) rat. Male LH and BN rats and LH-17(BN) rats were characterized for blood pressure and metabolic and morphological parameters. Similar to the protective effect of LN alleles, the LH-17(BN) rat also showed decreased body weight, triglycerides, and blood pressure; however, there was no significant difference in cholesterol or insulin-to-glucose ratio. Therefore, the substitution of the LH chromosome 17 is sufficient to recapitulate some, but not all, of the traits previously mapped to this chromosome. This could be due to the lack of a susceptible LH genome background or due to the introgression of chromosome 17 from another strain. Regardless, this study provides a single-chromosome genetic model for further dissection of blood pressure and morphological and metabolic traits on this chromosome.
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PMID:Effects of chromosome 17 on features of the metabolic syndrome in the Lyon hypertensive rat. 1828 21

Brown fat is a specialized tissue that can dissipate energy and counteract obesity through a pattern of gene expression that greatly increases mitochondrial content and uncoupled respiration. PRDM16 is a zinc-finger protein that controls brown fat determination by stimulating brown fat-selective gene expression, while suppressing the expression of genes selective for white fat cells. To determine the mechanisms regulating this switching of gene programs, we purified native PRDM16 protein complexes from fat cells. We show here that the PRDM16 transcriptional holocompex contains C-terminal-binding protein-1 (CtBP-1) and CtBP-2, and this direct interaction selectively mediates the repression of white fat genes. This repression occurs through recruiting a PRDM16/CtBP complex onto the promoters of white fat-specific genes such as resistin, and is abolished in the genetic absence of CtBP-1 and CtBP-2. In turn, recruitment of PPAR-gamma-coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) and PGC-1beta to the PRDM16 complex displaces CtBP, allowing this complex to powerfully activate brown fat genes, such as PGC-1alpha itself. These data show that the regulated docking of the CtBP proteins on PRDM16 controls the brown and white fat-selective gene programs.
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PMID:Regulation of the brown and white fat gene programs through a PRDM16/CtBP transcriptional complex. 1848 16

Brown and white adipose tissue have recently gained prominence as key players in obesity and related health problems, such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Brown adipose tissue-dependent nonshivering thermogenesis significantly affects the body's energy balance. Originally considered as a passive store of lipids, white adipose tissue has recently been found to secrete a number of hormones and cytokines and to be thus involved in the control of body metabolism and energy balance at multiple sites. These findings have renewed the interest in adipose organ biology, including its innervation by the autonomic nervous system and sensory nerves. Here, we describe our protocols for detecting different types of adipose tissue nerves by light microscopy using peroxidase immunostaining and by laser scanning confocal microscopy using immunofluorescence. With these techniques, the presence, distribution, and colocalization of autonomic and sensory nerves can be effectively investigated in subcutaneous and visceral adipose depots of normal and obese animals.
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PMID:Adipose organ nerves revealed by immunohistochemistry. 1851 54

Ghrelin, a gastric peptide hormone, has been reported to regulate GH secretion and energy homeostasis. Here, we examined the effect of des-acyl ghrelin driven from the fatty acid-binding protein-4 (FABP4) promoter on adiposity and glucose metabolism. A high level of expression of des-acyl ghrelin (692 +/- 293 fmol/g fat) in adipose tissue was detected in FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice, but not in wild-type littermates. Circulating des-acyl ghrelin was significantly higher in FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice (8409 +/- 3390 pm) compared with wild-type mice (513 +/- 58 pm). No significant change was observed for plasma acylated ghrelin and obestatin. Epididymal and perirenal fat masses decreased 35 +/- 9 and 52 +/- 9%, respectively, in FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice. FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice are resistant to obesity induced by high-fat diet. Brown fat mass was not affected by overexpression of ghrelin in adipose tissue. Glucose tolerance tests showed glucose levels to be significantly lower in FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice than in controls after glucose administration. Insulin sensitivity testing showed that FABP4-ghrelin transgenic mice had a 28 +/- 5% greater hypoglycemic response to insulin. Our study demonstrates that overexpression of ghrelin from the FABP4 promoter impairs the development of white adipose tissues, and alters glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice.
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PMID:Effect of des-acyl ghrelin on adiposity and glucose metabolism. 1853 5

Brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) plays a major role in the control of energy balance in rodents. It has long been thought, however, that there is no physiologically relevant UCP1 expression in adult humans. In this study we show, using an original approach consisting of sorting cells from various tissues and differentiating them in an adipogenic medium, that a stationary population of skeletal muscle cells expressing the CD34 surface protein can differentiate in vitro into genuine brown adipocytes with a high level of UCP1 expression and uncoupled respiration. These cells can be expanded in culture, and their UCP1 mRNA expression is strongly increased by cell-permeating cAMP derivatives and a peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) agonist. Furthermore, UCP1 mRNA was detected in the skeletal muscle of adult humans, and its expression was increased in vivo by PPARgamma agonist treatment. All the studies concerning UCP1 expression in adult humans have until now been focused on the white adipose tissue. Here we show for the first time the existence in human skeletal muscle and the prospective isolation of progenitor cells with a high potential for UCP1 expression. The discovery of this reservoir generates a new hope of treating obesity by acting on energy dissipation.
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PMID:A reservoir of brown adipocyte progenitors in human skeletal muscle. 1861 84

Brown fat can increase energy expenditure and protect against obesity through a specialized program of uncoupled respiration. Here we show by in vivo fate mapping that brown, but not white, fat cells arise from precursors that express Myf5, a gene previously thought to be expressed only in the myogenic lineage. We also demonstrate that the transcriptional regulator PRDM16 (PRD1-BF1-RIZ1 homologous domain containing 16) controls a bidirectional cell fate switch between skeletal myoblasts and brown fat cells. Loss of PRDM16 from brown fat precursors causes a loss of brown fat characteristics and promotes muscle differentiation. Conversely, ectopic expression of PRDM16 in myoblasts induces their differentiation into brown fat cells. PRDM16 stimulates brown adipogenesis by binding to PPAR-gamma (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma) and activating its transcriptional function. Finally, Prdm16-deficient brown fat displays an abnormal morphology, reduced thermogenic gene expression and elevated expression of muscle-specific genes. Taken together, these data indicate that PRDM16 specifies the brown fat lineage from a progenitor that expresses myoblast markers and is not involved in white adipogenesis.
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PMID:PRDM16 controls a brown fat/skeletal muscle switch. 1871 73


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