ISSN:
1432-0428
Keywords:
Keywords Energy homeostasis
;
gene expression
;
obesity
;
RT-PCR
;
uncoupling protein-2.
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary 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 UCP-2 may play a role in the pathophysiology of obesity. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 940–946]
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s001250051011
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