Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in adipose tissue biology by influencing adipogenesis, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and lipolysis. The enzymes responsible for NO formation in adipose cells are endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS), whereas neuronal NO synthase (bNOS) is not expressed in adipocytes. We characterized the expression pattern and the influence of adipogenesis, obesity, and weight loss on genes belonging to the NO system in human subcutaneous adipose cells by combining in vivo and in vitro studies. Expression of most of the genes known to belong to the NO system (eNOS, iNOS, subunits of the soluble guanylate cyclase, and both genes encoding cGMP-dependent protein kinases) in human adipose tissue and isolated human adipocytes was detected. In vitro adipogenic differentiation increased the expression level of iNOS significantly, whereas eNOS expression levels were not influenced. The genes encoding eNOS, iNOS, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 were expressed at higher levels in obese women. Expression of these genes, however, was not influenced by 5% weight loss. Insulin and angiotensin II (Ang II) increased NO production by human preadipocytes in vitro. Increased eNOS and iNOS expression in adipocytes and local effects of insulin and Ang II may increase adipose tissue production of NO in obesity.
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PMID:Regulation of the nitric oxide system in human adipose tissue. 1523 49

The three beta AR (beta-adrenergic receptor) subtypes (beta(1)AR, beta(2)AR, and beta(3)AR) are members of the large family of G protein-coupled receptors, each of which is coupled to G alpha s and increases in intracellular cAMP levels. In white adipose tissues, catecholamine activation of the beta ARs leads to the mobilization of stored fatty acids and regulates release of several adipokines, whereas in brown adipose tissue they stimulate the specialized process of adaptive nonshivering thermogenesis. Noteworthy, in most models of obesity the beta AR system is dysfunctional, and its ability to stimulate lipolysis and thermogenesis are both impaired. Nevertheless, selective agonists for the beta(3)AR, a subtype that is found predominantly in adipocytes, have been able to prevent or reverse obesity and accompanying insulin resistance in animal models. Whether this is a viable therapeutic option for human obesity is much debated with regard to the existence of brown adipocytes in humans or their ability to be recruited. Nevertheless, probing the physiological changes in adrenoceptor function in rodent obesity, as well as the process by which beta(3)AR agonists promote a thermogenic shift in fuel use, have yielded unexpected new insights into beta AR signaling and adipocyte physiology. These include the recent discovery of an essential role of p38 MAPK in mediating adaptive thermogenesis, as well as the accessory role of the ERK MAPK pathway for the control of lipolysis. Because these metabolic events were traditionally ascribed solely to the cAMP/protein kinase A system, the integration of these signaling mechanisms may pose new therapeutic directions in the quest to counter the obesity epidemic in our midst.
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PMID:Learning new tricks from old dogs: beta-adrenergic receptors teach new lessons on firing up adipose tissue metabolism. 1524 32

Adipocyte hyperplasia is characteristic of some forms of human obesity, but the role of adipocyte number in obesity and how normal adipocyte number is established are unclear. Preadipocytes proliferate and then differentiate to become mitotically quiescent adipocytes. This involves exit from the cell cycle, a process regulated by cell cycle inhibitors such as the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) p27 and p21. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes show marked changes in p27 and p21 during differentiation, suggesting CDKIs may regulate establishment of adipocyte number in vivo. To study the role of these CDKIs in adipogenesis, we analyzed adult p27 knockout (p27KO), p21 knockout (p21KO), p27/p21 double knockout (DBKO), and wild-type (WT) mice. Adult DBKO mice weighed 100% more and had fourfold increases in body fat percentage compared with WT. Fat pad weights were increased 80, 90, and 500% in p27KO, p21KO, and DBKO mice, respectively, compared with WT. Adipocyte numbers of p27KO, p21KO, and DBKO mice were 1.9-, 1.7-, and 6.1-fold, respectively, that of WT; adipocyte size was not increased. DBKO mice showed glucose intolerance, insulin insensitivity, hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia; gradations of these effects occurred in p27KO and p21KO mice. In conclusion, p27KO and p21KO mice are obese because of adipocyte hyperplasia, and DBKO mice have further increases in obesity and adipocyte hyperplasia, indicating that their functions in establishing adipocyte number are not redundant. p27 and p21 are major regulators of adipocyte number in vivo, and knockouts lacking one or both of these proteins provide models for producing adipocyte hyperplasia and understanding its metabolic consequences.
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PMID:Loss of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors produces adipocyte hyperplasia and obesity. 1546 64

Obesity frequently promotes a variety of cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. In a view of both the preventive and therapeutic aspects of the abovementioned diseases, most intensive clinical interventions have been primarily directed at decreasing excessive amounts of fat tissue by a change in the balance between intake and expenditure of energy; such changes are typically effected via daily exercise and diet control. Mechanical stimuli such as stretching and rubbing of fat tissues using gymnastic exercises or massage are believed to decrease obesity; however, there is no report concerning the direct effect of the mechanical stimulation on adipocytes. Here, we demonstrated that cyclic stretch inhibited adipocyte differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 cells, which was attributable to a reduced expression of adipogenic transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma(2) via the activation of an extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway. The inhibitory effect of the cyclic stretching on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells could be restored by troglitazone, a synthetic ligand for PPARgamma. Our results provide a molecular basis for the physiological significance of the local application of mechanical stimuli to fat tissues, which is totally independent of a mechanism for systemic energy consumption.
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PMID:[Mechanical stretching inhibits adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells: the molecular mechanism and pharmacological regulation]. 1550 99

The related disorders of obesity and diabetes are increasing to epidemic proportions. The role of neutral lipid storage and hydrolysis, and hence the adipocyte, is central to understanding this phenomenon. The adipocyte holds the major source of stored energy in the body in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG). It has been known for over 35 years that the breakdown of TAG and release of free (unesterified) fatty acids and glycerol from fat tissue can be regulated by a cAMP-mediated process. However, beyond the initial signaling cascade, the mechanistic details of this lipolytic reaction have remained unclear. Work in recent years has revealed that both hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), generally thought to be the rate-limiting enzyme, and perilipin, a lipid droplet surface protein, are required for optimal lipid storage and fatty acid release. There are multiple perilipin proteins encoded by mRNA splice variants of a single perilipin gene. The perilipin proteins are polyphosphorylated by protein kinase A and phosphorylation is necessary for translocation of HSL to the lipid droplet and enhanced lipolysis. Hence, the surface of the lipid storage droplet has emerged as a central site of regulation of lipolysis. This review will focus on adipocyte lipolysis with emphasis on hormone signal transduction, lipolytic enzymes, the lipid storage droplet, and fatty acid release from the adipocyte.
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PMID:The central role of perilipin a in lipid metabolism and adipocyte lipolysis. 1554 14

Diet-induced obesity is the primary determinant of the current epidemic of diabetes. We have explored the role of genetics in this phenomenon, using C57Bl/6 (B6), 129S6/SvEvTac (129), and intercross (B6 x 129)F2 mice on a low- or high-fat diet. Over an 18-week period, B6 and F2 mice gained more weight, had higher levels of insulin and leptin, and showed greater glucose intolerance than 129 mice, despite lower food intake. By contrast, metabolic rate and diet-induced thermogenesis were significantly higher in the 129 mice. Genome-wide scans identified several quantitative trait loci, including a quantitative trait locus that was linked with hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance on chromosome 14 in a region similar to that seen in mice with genetically induced insulin resistance. Microarray analysis indicated significant changes in expression levels between B6 and 129 mice in the identified chromosomal area of Wnt5a and protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta). Thus, caloric efficiency, i.e., the "thrifty gene," is a dominant-acting genetic determinant of diet-induced obesity in mice and can be linked to a locus on chromosome 14, including genes linked to adipose development and insulin sensitivity.
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PMID:Genetic determinants of energy expenditure and insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity in mice. 1556 60

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity-driven type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated cardiovascular complications. Here, we show that perturbation of caveolar microdomains leads to insulin resistance and concomitant up-regulation of PAI-1 in 3T3L1 adipocytes. We present several lines of evidence showing that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway negatively regulates PAI-1 gene expression. Insulin-induced PAI-1 gene expression is up-regulated by a specific inhibitor of PI3K. In addition, serum PAI-1 level is elevated in protein kinase Balpha-deficient mice, whereas it is reduced in p70 ribosomal S6 kinase 1-deficient mice. The PI3K pathway phosphorylates retinoblastoma protein (pRB), known to release free E2 (adenoviral protein) factor (E2F), which we have previously demonstrated to be a transcriptional repressor of PAI-1 gene expression. Accordingly, cell-penetrating peptides that disrupt pRB-E2F interaction, and thereby release free E2F, are able to suppress PAI-1 levels that are elevated during insulin-resistant conditions. This study identifies a caveolar-dependent signal pathway that up-regulates PAI-1 in insulin-resistant adipocytes and proposes a previously undescribed pharmacological paradigm of disrupting pRB-E2F interaction to suppress PAI-1 levels.
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PMID:Identification and modulation of a caveolae-dependent signal pathway that regulates plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in insulin-resistant adipocytes. 1556 40

Metabolism cycles daily between the fed and fasted states. The pathways of energy production are reversible and distinct. In the anabolic (fed) state, the liver stores glucose as glycogen, and fatty acid/triglyceride synthesis is active. In the catabolic (fasted) state, the liver becomes a glucose producer, lipogenesis is slowed, and fatty acid oxidation/ketogenesis is activated. The rate-limiting step for the latter is vested in the carnitine/carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system, and the off/on regulator of this is malonyl CoA. The AMP-induced protein kinase primarily determines the concentration of malonyl CoA. Four other systems have significant influence: two on fatty acid oxidation and two on lipogenesis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1 alpha, a master regulator of metabolism, induces hepatic gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in the catabolic phase. Deficiency of stearoyl CoA desaturase, although having no role in gluconeogenesis, powerfully induces fatty acid oxidation and weight loss despite increased food intake in rodents. Major stimulators of lipogenesis are carbohydrate-responsive element binding protein and the Insig system. The malonyl CoA-regulated CPT system has been firmly established in humans. The other systems have not yet been confirmed in humans, but likely are active there as well. Activation of fatty acid oxidation has considerable clinical promise for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, steatohepatitis, and lipotoxic damage to the heart.
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PMID:The role of the carnitine system in human metabolism. 1559 Sep 99

Human fat cell lipolysis was considered until recently to be an exclusive cAMP/protein-kinase A (PKA)-regulated metabolic pathway under the control of catecholamines and insulin. Moreover, exercise-induced lipid mobilization in humans was considered to mainly depend on catecholamine action and interplay between fat cell beta- and alpha2-adrenergic receptors controlling adenylyl cyclase activity and cAMP production. We have recently demonstrated that natriuretic peptides stimulate lipolysis and contribute to the regulation of lipid mobilization in humans. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) stimulate lipolysis in human isolated fat cells. Activation of the adipocyte plasma membrane type A guanylyl cyclase receptor (NPR-A), increase in intracellular guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP) levels and activation of hormone-sensitive lipase mediate the action of ANP. ANP does not modulate cAMP production and PKA activity. Increment of cGMP induces the phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase and perilipin A via the activation of a cGMP dependent protein kinase-I (cGK-I). Plasma concentrations of glycerol and non-esterified fatty acids are increased by i.v. infusion of ANP in humans. Physiological relevance of the ANP-dependent pathway was demonstrated in young subjects performing physical exercise. ANP plays a role in conjunction with catecholamines in the control of exercise-induced lipid mobilization. This pathway becomes of major importance when subjects are submitted to chronic treatment with a beta-blocker. Oral beta-adrenoceptor blockade suppresses the beta-adrenergic component of catecholamine action in fat cells and potentiates exercise-induced ANP release by the heart. These findings may have several implications whenever natriuretic peptide secretion is altered such as in subjects with left ventricular dysfunction, congestive heart failure and obesity.
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PMID:[Natriuretic peptides: a new lipolytic pathway in human fat cells]. 1563 22

Components of the adipose renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been suggested as providing a potential path-way linking obesity to hypertension. In adipose cells, the biological responses to beta-adrenergic stimulation are mediated by an increase in intracellular cAMP. Because an association exists among body fat mass, hypertension, and increased sympathetic stimulation, we examined the influence of cAMP on angiotensinogen (ATG) expression and secretion in human adipose tissue and in parallel we studied the DNA binding activity of CRE transcriptional factors. A 24 h exposure to the cAMP analog 8Br-cAMP resulted in significant increases in ATG mRNA levels (+176+/-60%) and protein secretion (+40+/-27%). The ability of 8Br-cAMP to promote ATG gene expression was unaltered by H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, because H89 per se was found to stimulate ATG mRNA levels and protein secretion. Moreover, 8Br-cAMP stimulated the specific CRE DNA binding activity (+115+/-14%) in human adipocyte nuclear extracts as assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. These results indicate that cAMP upregulates in vitro ATG expression and secretion in human adipose tissue and that the induction in ATG mRNA levels appears to result, at least in part, from positive effects on the DNA binding activity of CRE transcription factors. Further studies are required to determine whether this regulatory pathway is activated in human obesity and to elucidate the importance of adipose ATG to the elevated blood pressure observed in this pathological state.
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PMID:Human adipose angiotensinogen gene expression and secretion are stimulated by cyclic AMP via increased DNA cyclic AMP responsive element binding activity. 1571 Oct 21


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