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Thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 increases during differentiation of human adipocytes and its expression is down-regulated in obese subjects

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 487–499 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Context:

Very limited information is available regarding the function of human thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 (human S14, hS14) in adipogenesis and human adiposity.

Objective:

To evaluate hS14 levels during differentiation of human pre-adipocytes, in human fat depots and isolated fat cells.

Design:

This was a cross-sectional study.

Subjects:

A total of 161 omental (OM) and 87 subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue samples obtained during elective surgical procedures from a population who varied widely in terms of obesity.

Measurements:

hS14 gene expression and protein levels during adipogenesis were assessed by RT–PCR, western blot, and using an automated confocal imaging approach.

Results:

hS14 gene expression levels were decreased in OM adipose tissue from overweight (−42.0%) and obese subjects (−56.5%) compared with lean subjects (P<0.05 and P<0.0001, respectively). hS14 mRNA (but not hS14-related) was inversely associated with obesity measures such as body mass index (P=0.001), percent fat mass (P=0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (P=0.020), and systolic blood pressure (P=0.031). hS14 gene expression and protein levels were up-regulated at the early stages of differentiation of human pre-adipocytes as well as for 3T3-L1 cells. That observation was most prominent in those individual cells exhibiting the more marked differentiation features. hS14 gene expression levels increased by ∼45 000-fold in mature adipocytes. Increased hS14 levels were also found in stromal-vascular cells/pre-adipocytes (3.8-fold, P<0.05) and in adipose tissue samples (1.9-fold, P<0.0001) from SC compared with OM fat depots.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that hS14 is involved in human adipogenesis, but inversely related to obesity and OM fat accumulation.

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Acknowledgements

We greatly appreciate the technical assistance of Gerard Pardo and Oscar Rovira (Unit of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona, Hospital Universitari Dr Josep Trueta de Girona). The work of all the members of the Multidisciplinary Obesity Team of the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra is also gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by research grants from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (SAF2008-02073 and SAF2006-02354), Generalitat de Catalunya (2005SGR00947 and 2005SGR00467), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIIIRETIC RD06, CIBERObN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IdIBGi), CIBEROBN (CB06/03/0010) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Girona, Spain

    F J Ortega, J-M Moreno-Navarrete, J Bassols, W Ricart & J-M Fernández-Real

  2. Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IdIBGi), Girona, Spain

    A Vazquez-Martin & J A Menendez

  3. Department of Endocrinology, Physiopathology and Nervous System, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomèdicas ‘Alberto Sols’ (IIB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    J Rodriguez-Hermosa & J Gironés

  4. Service of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de Victoria de Malaga, CIBEROBN (CB06/03/0018) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Málaga, Spain

    B Peral

  5. Department of Endocrinology, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, CIBEROBN (CB06/03/1014) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Navarra, Spain

    F J Tinahones

  6. Department of Surgery, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IdIBGi), Girona, Spain

    G Fruhbeck

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Correspondence to J-M Fernández-Real.

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Ortega, F., Vazquez-Martin, A., Moreno-Navarrete, JM. et al. Thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 increases during differentiation of human adipocytes and its expression is down-regulated in obese subjects. Int J Obes 34, 487–499 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.263

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