A role of lipin in human obesity and insulin resistance: relation to adipocyte glucose transport and GLUT4 expression

• Published in: Journal of lipid research Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 201 - 206
• Main Authors: van Harmelen, Vanessa, Rydén, Mikael, Sjölin, Eva, Hoffstedt, Johan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2007; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adipocytes - cytology; Adipocytes - drug effects; Adipocytes - metabolism; Adipocytes - pathology; adipogenesis; adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Cell Differentiation; Cohort Studies; fat cell; Gene Expression Regulation; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose Transporter Type 4 - genetics; Humans; Insulin - pharmacology; Insulin Resistance - genetics; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; metabolic syndrome; mRNA; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Obesity - blood; Obesity - genetics; Phosphatidate Phosphatase; RNA, Messenger - genetics; metabolic syndrome; adipose tissue; mRNA; adipogenesis; fat cell
• ISSN: 0022-2275; 1539-7262
• DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M600272-JLR200

The mouse lipin gene, Lpin1, is important for adipose tissue development and is a candidate gene for insulin resistance. Here, we investigate the adipose tissue expression levels of the human LPIN1 gene in relation to various clinical variables as well as adipocyte function. LPIN1 gene expression was induced at an early step in human preadipocyte differentiation in parallel with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ. Lipin mRNA levels were higher in fat cells than in adipose tissue segments but showed no difference between subcutaneous and omental depots. Moreover, LPIN1 expression levels were reduced in obesity, improved following weight reduction in obese subjects, and were downregulated in women with the metabolic syndrome. With respect to adipocyte function, adipose LPIN1 gene expression was strongly associated with both basal and insulin-mediated subcutaneous adipocyte glucose transport as well as mRNA levels of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). We show that body fat accumulation is a major regulator of human adipose LPIN1 expression and suggest a role of LPIN1 in human preadipocyte as well as mature adipocyte function.