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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (
obesity
)
124,988
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
We identified and partially characterized another member of the uncoupling protein termed UCP3. Human and mouse UCP3 protein sequences are 86% identical to each other, and 73% and 59% identical to
UCP2
and UCP1, respectively. Expression of human UCP3 in yeast resulted in a drastic decrease of mitochondria membrane potential. Northern analysis showed that UCP3 was highly expressed in skeletal muscle in human, rat, and mouse. Mapping of UCP3 placed it to the same chromosomal region of
UCP2
in both human and mouse, a region that is linked to
obesity
and hyperinsulinemia. Furthermore, adenovirus-mediated leptin expression in obese ob/ob mice led to increased expression of UCP3 in skeletal muscle. The data indicate that UCP3 encodes a muscle-specific uncoupling protein that may play an important role in the regulation of energy expenditure and development of
obesity
.
...
PMID:Uncoupling protein-3: a muscle-specific gene upregulated by leptin in ob/ob mice. 951 37
The
UCP2
-UCP3 gene cluster maps to chromosome 11q13 in humans, and polymorphisms in these genes may contribute to
obesity
through effects on energy metabolism. DNA sequencing of
UCP2
and UCP3 revealed three polymorphisms informative for association studies: an Ala-->Val substitution in exon 4 of
UCP2
, a 45 bp insertion/deletion in the 3'-untranslated region of exon 8 of
UCP2
and a C-->T silent polymorphism in exon 3 of UCP3. Initially, 82 young (mean age = 30 +/- 7 years), unrelated, full-blooded, non-diabetic Pima Indians were typed for these polymorphisms by direct sequencing. The three sites were in linkage disequilibrium ( P < 0.00001). The
UCP2
variants were associated with metabolic rate during sleep (exon 4, P = 0.007; exon 8, P = 0.016) and over 24 h (exon 8, P = 0.038). Heterozygotes for
UCP2
variants had higher metabolic rates than homozygotes. The UCP3 variant was not significantly associated with metabolic rate or
obesity
. In a further 790 full-blooded Pima Indians, there was no significant association between the insertion/deletion polymorphism and body mass index (BMI). However, when only individuals >45 years of age were considered, heterozygotes (subjects with the highest sleeping metabolic rate) had the lowest BMI (P = 0.04). The location of the insertion/deletion polymorphism suggested a role in mRNA stability; however, it appeared to have no effect on skeletal muscle
UCP2
mRNA levels in a subset of 23 randomly chosen Pima Indians. In conclusion, these results suggest a contribution from
UCP2
(or UCP3) to variation in metabolic rate in young Pima Indians which may contribute to overall body fat content later in life.
...
PMID:Association between uncoupling protein polymorphisms (UCP2-UCP3) and energy metabolism/obesity in Pima indians. 970 Jan 98
Massive overweight is an increasing health problem and underlies several complications which in turn result in premature death. The mechanisms underlying the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, that lead to
obesity
in humans, are still only partly understood. In rodents, heat generation and the burning of calories by the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) are important for metabolic control. However, UCP1 is exclusively expressed in brown fat which is only present in limited amounts in human adults. The recent characterization of two new uncoupling proteins,
UCP2
and UCP3, may elucidate potentially important pathways for energy expenditure regulation in man. The aim of this study was to investigate whether
obesity
is accompanied by aberrations in
UCP2
and UCP3 regulation. Expression of these two genes was examined using in situ hybridization in six lean and six obese, but otherwise healthy, men. The
UCP2
expression was decreased by 28 % (p = 0.001) in the abdominal muscle of the obese subjects. No differences in UCP3 expression were observed between obese and control subjects, although there was great variation in the expression between subjects. In conclusion, these data suggest an impaired activity of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein
UCP2
, but probably not UCP3, in obese subjects. This may result in decreased energy expenditure and contribute to the development and maintenance of
obesity
.
...
PMID:Reduced gene expression of UCP2 but not UCP3 in skeletal muscle of human obese subjects. 972 96
The mitochondrial
uncoupling protein-2
(UCP-2) is a recently discovered homologue of the brown adipose tissue-specific uncoupling protein and could be involved in the regulation of energy balance. Since
obesity
is associated with disturbed energy homeostasis, we tested the hypothesis that UCP-2 gene expression is deficient in this disorder. We determined, by a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, UCP-2 mRNA expression in intra- and extraperitoneal adipose tissues of 107 morbidly obese subjects and 31 lean control subjects. In both obese and non-obese subjects, UCP-2 mRNA abundance was higher in the intraperitoneal than in the extraperitoneal tissue (p < 0.05), but no association was observed between intra- and extraperitoneal expression in either group. Compared with lean control subjects, both male and female obese subjects displayed significantly lower average UCP-2 mRNA expression in the intraperitoneal adipose tissue (p < 0.006), while UCP-2 mRNA abundance in extraperitoneal adipose tissue was not different between obese and non-obese men and women. Intraperitoneal UCP-2 mRNA remained low in nine obese subjects who lost 23 +/- 12 kg of weight over a period of 10 +/- 5 months subsequent to weight reducing surgery. These data support the concept that impaired adipose tissue expression of
UCP2
may play a role in the pathophysiology of
obesity
.
...
PMID:Uncoupling protein-2 gene: reduced mRNA expression in intraperitoneal adipose tissue of obese humans. 972 97
Uncoupling protein (UCP) 3 and
UCP2
, mitochondrial carrier proteins dissipating electrochemical gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane, have been implicated in the regulation of energy metabolism. The UCP3 gene is expressed abundantly in the skeletal muscle, while the
UCP2
gene is detected in the white adipose tissue (WAT) with diffuse localization throughout the body. Uncoupling of electron transport and ATP synthesis has been reported to increase glucose uptake, suggesting that UCP may be involved in glucose metabolism. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which are insulin-sensitizing agents for NIDDM, have been reported to increase energy expenditure. To elucidate the pathophysiologic significance of UCP3 and
UCP2
in the effect of TZDs on glucose metabolism and energy expenditure, we examined their basal mRNA levels in the WAT, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and skeletal muscle from Wistar fatty rats, a rat model of NIDDM and
obesity
with leptin receptor defect, and investigated expression of the genes encoding UCP3 and
UCP2
in Wistar fatty rats and in Wistar lean rats with 2-week oral administration of 3 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) pioglitazone, a TZD derivative. Basal UCP3 mRNA levels were significantly lower (38 +/- 8, 45 +/- 13, and 76 +/- 6%) in the retroperitoneal WAT, BAT, and skeletal muscle from Wistar fatty rats than in those from Wistar lean rats, while basal
UCP2
mRNA levels were significantly higher by 2.1-, 1.8-, and 2.5-fold in the subcutaneous WAT, retroperitoneal WAT, and BAT from Wistar fatty rats, respectively, than in those from Wistar lean rats. In pioglitazone-treated Wistar fatty rats, UCP3 mRNA levels were significantly increased by 2.1-, 2.0-, and 1.6-fold in the epididymal WAT, retroperitoneal WAT, and BAT, respectively, as compared with those in nontreated fatty rats. In pioglitazone-treated lean rats, UCP3 mRNA levels were significantly increased by 1.3-fold in the BAT as compared with those in nontreated lean rats. No significant change of
UCP2
mRNA levels was observed in pioglitazone-treated fatty and lean rats. In addition, to examine the direct effect of TZDs on adipocytes, we examined the regulation of UCP3 and
UCP2
gene expression using the primary culture of rat mature adipocytes from Sprague-Dawley rats. In rat cultured mature adipocytes, UCP3 mRNA levels were increased in a dose-responsive manner by 10(-5) to 10(-4) mol/l pioglitazone, while there was no significant change of
UCP2
mRNA levels. These results clearly demonstrate that UCP3 gene expression is upregulated by TZDs in the WAT and BAT in Wistar fatty rats, an obese model with leptin receptor defect, and that adipose UCP3 gene expression is increased in response to TZDs in vitro. The present study suggests the involvement of UCP3 in the effects of TZDs on energy and glucose metabolism.
...
PMID:Increased adipose expression of the uncoupling protein-3 gene by thiazolidinediones in Wistar fatty rats and in cultured adipocytes. 979 55
To explore the potential role of the uncoupling protein (UCP) family in human
obesity
and diabetes, we have used the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to quantify UCP mRNA expression in human skeletal muscle. Levels of mRNA for
UCP2
, and for both short (UCP3S) and long (UCP3L) forms of UCP3, were highly correlated in individuals, indicating that gene transcription of these UCPs may be coordinately regulated by common mechanisms. In normal glucose-tolerant individuals, muscle
UCP2
mRNA levels were positively correlated with percentage of body fat and with BMI (r = 0.6 and P < 0.05 for both). UCP3S mRNA levels were also positively correlated with percentage of body fat (r = 0.52, P < 0.05), and UCP3L mRNA tended to increase as a function of
obesity
(0.05 < P < 0.1). UCP mRNA levels, however, were not correlated with resting metabolic rate. UCP3S and UCP3L mRNA levels (P < 0.05) and the
UCP2
mRNA level (P = 0.09) were increased by 1.8- to 2.7-fold in type 2 diabetes, an effect that could not be explained by
obesity
. No significant difference was found for
UCP2
, UCP3S, or UCP3L mRNA levels between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant nondiabetic subgroups. We conclude that 1) skeletal muscle mRNA levels encoding
UCP2
and UCP3 are correlated among individuals and may be coordinately regulated; 2) UCP3 expression is not regulated by differential effects on UCP3L and UCP3S forms of the mRNA; and 3) UCP mRNA expression tends to increase in muscle as a function of
obesity
but not of resting metabolic rate or insulin resistance, and is increased in patients with type 2 diabetes.
...
PMID:Expression of mRNAs encoding uncoupling proteins in human skeletal muscle: effects of obesity and diabetes. 983 27
Uncoupling proteins (UCP) may influence thermogenesis. Since skeletal muscle plays an important role in energy homeostasis and substrate oxidation, this study was undertaken to test the hypotheses that skeletal muscle
UCP2
content is altered in
obesity
and could be linked to basal energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, or substrate oxidation within skeletal muscle under postabsorptive (fasting) conditions. To examine these possibilities, limb basal energy expenditure and respiratory quotient (bRQ) were measured in 18 obese nondiabetic (Ob) and lean individuals (L). Total body fat (%) ranged from 11% to 46%. In addition, insulin-stimulated rates of glucose disposal (Rd) were measured under euglycemic hyperinsulinemic conditions. Biopsy of vastus lateralis muscle was used to measure cytochrome c oxidase (COX) enzyme activity and
UCP2
content. Whereas low muscle COX activity was found in the Ob compared to L (6.9+/-1.6 vs. 9.6+/-1.2 U/g; P<0.001), skeletal muscle
UCP2
content in Ob was significantly higher than in L (48+/-9 vs. 33+/-12 arbitrary units/g; P<0.05). Moreover,
UCP2
content was positively correlated with percent of total body fat (r=0.57; P<0. 05) and bRQ (r=0.59; P<0.01), but not with visceral fat (r=0.17; P=0. 49), basal energy expenditure (r=0.07; P=0.79) or Rd (r=-0.23; P=0. 34). In summary, these results indicate that if development of
obesity
in humans is mediated by defective expression of
UCP2
within skeletal muscle, then this effect is not observed in people with established
obesity
. The present study also suggests that skeletal muscle
UCP2
content is not related to basal energy expenditure or insulin sensitivity in humans. However, the increased content of
UCP2
within skeletal muscle in
obesity
appears to coincide with a reduced postabsorptive lipid utilization by muscle.
...
PMID:Overexpression of muscle uncoupling protein 2 content in human obesity associates with reduced skeletal muscle lipid utilization. 983 64
To elucidate the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY)-Y1 receptor (Y1-R) in food intake, energy expenditure, and other possible functions, we have generated Y1-R-deficient mice (Y1-R-/-) by gene targeting. Contrary to our hypothesis that the lack of NPY signaling via Y1-R would result in impaired feeding and weight loss, Y1-R-/- mice showed a moderate obesity and mild hyperinsulinemia without hyperphagia. Although there was some variation between males and females, typical characteristics of Y1-R-/- mice include: greater body weight (females more than males), an increase in the weight of white adipose tissue (WAT) (approximately 4-fold in females), an elevated basal level of plasma insulin (approximately 2-fold), impaired insulin secretion in response to glucose administration, and a significant changes in mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP) gene expression (up-regulation of UCP1 in brown adipose tissue and down-regulation of
UCP2
in WAT). These results suggest either that the Y1-R in the hypothalamus is not a key molecule in the leptin/NPY pathway, which controls feeding behavior, or that its deficiency is compensated by other receptors, such as NPY-Y5 receptor. We believe that the mild
obesity
found in Y1-R-/- mice (especially females) was caused by the impaired control of insulin secretion and/or low energy expenditure, including the lowered expression of
UCP2
in WAT. This model will be useful for studying the mechanism of mild
obesity
and abnormal insulin metabolism in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
...
PMID:Obesity and mild hyperinsulinemia found in neuropeptide Y-Y1 receptor-deficient mice. 986 Oct 26
Obesity
is a complex syndrome that involves defective signaling by a number of different factors that regulate appetite and energy homeostasis. Treatment with exogenous leptin reverses hyperphagia and
obesity
in ob/ob mice, which have a mutation that causes leptin deficiency, proving the importance of this factor and its receptors in the
obesity
syndrome. Cells with leptin receptors have been identified outside of the appetite regulatory centers in the brain. Thus leptin has peripheral targets. Because macrophages express signaling-competent leptin receptors, these cells may be altered during chronic leptin deficiency. Consistent with this concept, the present study identifies several phenotypic abnormalities in macrophages from ob/ob mice, including decreased steady-state levels of
uncoupling protein-2
mRNA, increased mitochondrial production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, constitutive activation of CCAAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-beta, an oxidant-sensitive transcription factor, increased expression of interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, two C/EBP-beta target genes, and increased COX-2-dependent production of PGE2. Given the importance of macrophages in the general regulation of inflammation and immunity, these alterations in macrophage function may contribute to
obesity
-related pathophysiology.
...
PMID:Phenotypic abnormalities in macrophages from leptin-deficient, obese mice. 995 Jul 66
Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are mitochondrial membrane transporters which are involved in dissipating the proton electrochemical gradient thereby releasing stored energy as heat. This implies a major role of UCPs in energy metabolism and thermogenesis which when deregulated are key risk factors for the development of
obesity
and other eating disorders. From the three different human UCPs identified so far by gene cloning both
UCP2
and UCP3 were mapped in close proximity (75-150 kb) to regions of human chromosome 11 (11q13) that have been linked to
obesity
and hyperinsulinaemia. At the amino acid level hUCP2 has about 55% identity to hUCP1 while hUCP3 is 71% identical to hUCP2. In this study we have deduced the genomic structure of the human
UCP2
gene by PCR and direct sequence analysis. The hUCP2 gene spans over 8.7 kb distributed on 8 exons. The localization of the exon/intron boundaries within the coding region matches precisely that of the hUCP1 gene and is almost conserved in the recently discovered hUCP3 gene as well. The high degree of homology at the nucleotide level and the conservation of the exon /intron boundaries among the three UCP genes suggests that they may have evolved from a common ancestor or are the result from gene duplication events. Mutational analysis of the hUCP2 gene in a cohort of 172 children (aged 7 - 13) of Caucasian origin revealed a polymorphism in exon 4 (C to T transition at position 164 of the cDNA resulting in the substitution of an alanine by a valine at codon 55) and an insertion polymorphism in exon 8. The insertion polymorphism consists of a 45 bp repeat located 150 bp downstream of the stop codon in the 3'-UTR. The allele frequencies were 0.63 and 0.37 for the alanine and valine encoded alleles, respectively, and 0.71 versus 0.29 for the insertion polymorphism. The allele frequencies of both polymorphisms were not significantly elevated in a subgroup of 25 children characterized by low Resting Metabolic Rates (RMR). So far a direct correlation of the observed genotype with (RMR) and Body Mass Index (BMI) was not evident. Expression studies of the wild type and mutant forms of
UCP2
should clarify the functional consequences these polymorphisms may have on energy metabolism and body weight regulation.
...
PMID:Structural organization and mutational analysis of the human uncoupling protein-2 (hUCP2) gene. 1002 54
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