Abstract-The metabolic syndrome is associated with a dysregulated adipose tissue; in part a consequence of adipose cell enlargement and the associated infiltration of macrophages. Adipose cell enlargement leads to a proinflammatory state in the cells with reduced secretion of adiponectin and with increased secretion of several cytokines and chemokines including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and MCP-1. MCP-1 has been shown to play an important role for the associated recruitment of macrophages into the adipose tissue. The increased release of cytokines leads to an impaired differentiation of the preadipocytes with reduced lipid accumulation and induction of adiponectin, thus promoting ectopic lipid storage. In particular tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ␣, but also IL-6, has been shown to induce these effects in preadipocytes and this is associated with an increased Wnt signaling maintaining the cells in an undifferentiated and proinflammatory state. The proinflammatory state in the adipose tissue also leads to a local insulin resistance including an impaired inhibitory effect of insulin on FFA release. The insulin resistance further supports the proinflammatory state because insulin, by itself, is both antilipolytic and antiinflammatory by antagonizing cytokine-induced activation of STAT signaling. Key Words: adipose tissue Ⅲ cytokines Ⅲ insulin Ⅲ thiazolidinediones Ⅲ insulin resistance T he metabolic syndrome is highly linked to the presence of obesity and, in particular, the circumference of the waist as a measure of degree of abdominal obesity. Waist circumference has been shown to correlate with the various components of the syndrome supporting the concept that the adipose tissue plays an important role. Recent advances in our understanding of adipose tissue biology and, in particular, its endocrine function and the dysregulated state associated with obesity characterized by enlarged adipose cells have provided insight into the mechanisms involved. In the present study, we briefly review adipose cell development (adipogenesis) and differentiation, pattern of adipokine secretion, as well as the changes in the adipose tissue associated with the development of obesity involving both pro-and antiinflammatory adipokines. AdipogenesisAdipogenesis is the process by which committed precursor cells (preadipocytes) differentiate into mature adipocytes. Adipocyte differentiation includes morphological changes, cell arrest, lipid accumulation, and acquirement of insulin sensitivity and adipokine expression. Preadipocytes are committed to the adipocyte lineage but are morphologically indistinguishable from fibroblasts. 1,2 A finite number of cell divisions, referred to as Mitotic Clonal Expansion (MCE), is necessary before differentiation in vitro. However, preadipocytes isolated from mammalian adipose tissue seem to be competent to undergo terminal differentiation without further divisions and are thought to have undergone the necessary cell divisions in vivo. 1,3 In general, however, the commonly used cellines appear to behave ...

Aims/hypothesis IL-6 is released by the adipose tissue and increased circulating levels in obesity are associated with hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance. Short-term experiments suggest that increased IL-6 release by the skeletal muscle following exercise may improve insulin sensitivity. Methods In order to examine the effect of chronically elevated IL-6 levels, we overexpressed Il6 in skeletal muscle in mice using an electro-transfer procedure.Results Circulating IL-6 levels were increased and the animals rapidly lost both weight and body fat, but food intake was unchanged, which is consistent with the finding that IL-6 increased energy expenditure. Insulin levels were inappropriately elevated and combined with hypoglycaemia in spite of reduced 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake by skeletal muscle. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by skeletal muscles ex vivo was reduced, probably due to the decreased amounts of glucose transporter (GLUT)-4. Beta cell insulin content was increased, while apparent beta cell mass was unchanged. Circulating serum amyloid A cluster levels were increased tenfold due to a pronounced proinflammatory state in the liver with infiltration of inflammatory cells. However, no liver steatosis was found, which may be accounted for by concomitant AMP kinase activation. Conclusions/interpretation Chronically elevated IL-6 levels lead to inappropriate hyperinsulinaemia, reduced body weight, impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by the skeletal muscles and marked inflammation in the liver. Thus, the pleiotrophic effects of chronically elevated IL-6 levels preclude any obvious usefulness in treating obesity or its associated metabolic complications in man, despite the fact that weight reduction may be expected.

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Myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MLS/RCLS) is the most common subtype of liposarcoma. Most MLS/RCLS carry a t(12;16) translocation, resulting in a FUS-DDIT3 fusion gene. We investigated the role of the FUS-DDIT3 fusion in the development of MLS/RCLS in FUS-DDIT3- and DDIT3-transfected human HT1080 sarcoma cells. Cells expressing FUS-DDIT3 and DDIT3 grew as liposarcomas in severe combined immunodeficient mice and exhibited a capillary network morphology that was similar to networks of MLS/RCLS. Microarray-based comparison of HT1080, the transfected cells, and an MLS/RCLS-derived cell line showed that the FUS-DDIT3- and DDIT3-transfected variants shifted toward an MLS/RCLS-like expression pattern. DDIT3-transfected cells responded in vitro to adipogenic factors by accumulation of fat and transformation to a lipoblast-like morphology. In conclusion, because the fusion oncogene FUS-DDIT3 and the normal DDIT3 induce a liposarcoma phenotype when expressed in a primitive sarcoma cell line, MLS/RCLS may develop from cell types other than preadipocytes. This may explain the preferential occurrence of MLS/RCLS in nonadipose tissues. In addition, development of lipoblasts and the typical MLS/RCLS capillary network could be an effect of the DDIT3 transcription factor partner of the fusion oncogene.

FUS (also called TLS), EWSR1 and TAF15 (also called TAF2N) are related genes involved in tumor type-specific fusion oncogenes in human malignancies. The FUS-DDIT3 fusion oncogene results from a t(12;16)(q13;p11) chromosome translocation and has a causative role in the initiation of myxoid/round cell liposarcomas (MLS/ RCLS). The FUS-DDIT3 protein induces increased expression of the CAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) and nuclear factor-jB (NF-jB)-controlled gene IL8, and the N-terminal FUS part is required for this activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that FUS-DDIT3 binds the IL8 promoter. Expression studies of the IL8 promoter harboring a C/EBP-NF-jB composite site pinpointed the importance of NF-jB for IL8 expression in FUS-DDIT3-expressing cells. We therefore probed for possible interaction of FUS-DDIT3 with members of the NF-jB family. The nuclear factor NFKBIZ colocalizes with FUS-DDIT3 in nuclear structures, and immunoprecipitation experiments showed that FUS-DDIT3 binds the C-terminal of NFKBIZ. We also report that additional NF-jB-controlled genes are upregulated at the mRNA level in FUS-DDIT3-expressing cell lines and they can be induced by NFKBIZ. Taken together, the results indicate that FUS-DDIT3 deregulates some NF-jB-controlled genes through interactions with NFKBIZ. Similar mechanisms may be a part of the transformation process in other tumor types carrying FUS, EWSR1 and TAF15 containing fusion oncogenes.