Global gene expression profiles of subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese and non-obese young men

French, Curtis R. (2005) Global gene expression profiles of subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese and non-obese young men. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Objective: The current study was designed to compare global gene expression profiles of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) from obese and non-obese young men using whole human genome microarrays. -- Research methods and procedures: Sixteen healthy young men aged 20-27 participated in the study. Total RNA was isolated from SCAT, and competitively hybridized with a universal human reference RNA to Agilent's 44K whole human genome chip. A paired study design was used; ratios for each obese individual were directly compared to those of a matched non-obese individual. -- Results and Discussion: We identified 114 significantly up-regulated and 204 downregulated genes and transcripts in obese SCAT, 232 of which have defined names. For 181 of the genes with defined names, adipose tissue expression has not been reported previously. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed an over-representation of genes involved in apoptosis, cell adhesion, cellular morphogenesis, and cell growth as up regulated in obese subjects. Genes with functions in the mitochondria, including genes involved in ATP coupled electron transport, were down regulated in obese subjects. Clustering analysis identified a sub-set of 27 genes that was able to accurately distinguish obese from non-obese subjects. Moreover, numerous genes that may influence the rate of lipolysis were also found to be differentially expressed.

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