miRNA and Protein Expression Profiles of Visceral Adipose Tissue Reveal miR-141/YWHAG and miR-520e/RAB11A as Two Potential miRNA/Protein Target Pairs Associated with Severe Obesity

Abstract

Adipose tissues show selective gene expression patterns, to whom microRNAs (miRNAs) may contribute. We evaluated in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from obese and nonobese females, both miRNA and protein expression profiles, to identify miRNA/protein target pairs associated with obesity (metabolic pathways miRNA-deregulated during obesity). Obese and nonobese females [BMI 42.2 ± 1.6 and 23.7 ± 1.2 kg/m(2) (mean ± SEM), respectively] were enrolled in this study. Notably, most miRNAs were down-expressed in obese tissues, whereas most of the proteins from the investigated spots were up-expressed. Bioinformatics integration of miRNA expression and proteomic data highlighted two potential miRNA/protein target pairs: miR-141/YWHAG (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein, gamma polypeptide) and miR-520e/RAB11A (Ras-related protein RAB-11A); the functional interaction between these miRNAs and their target sequences on the corresponding mRNAs was confirmed by luciferase assays. Both RAB11A and YWHAG proteins are involved in glucose homeostasis; YWHAG is also involved in lipid metabolism. Hence, the identified miRNA/protein target pairs are potential players in the obese phenotype.

Changes in the MicroRNA Profile Observed in the Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Obese Patients after Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding

“…RT-PCR was performed with 800 ng of cDNA and the 7900 HT real-time PCR system (Applied Biosystems) as reported elsewhere [7]. miRNA expression was normalized to RNU48 and quantified using the RQ Manager 1.2 software (Applied Biosystems) with the following formula: RQ = 2 −ΔΔCt , where ΔΔCt = (Ct obese [miRNA] − Ct obese [RNU48]) − (Ct calibrator [miRNA] − Ct calibrator [RNU48]).…”

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (19–22 bp) noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of mRNA targets mainly by binding their complementary sequences at the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) and inhibiting their translation [5]. The miRNA profile in subcutaneous (SAT) and in visceral (VAT) adipose tissues differs between obese and lean subjects [6, 7]. The aim of the present study was to investigate the SAT miRNA profile in three morbidly obese women before (T0) and three years (T1) after LAGB and to evaluate whether miRNAs are involved in post-LAGB metabolic improvement.…”

High Aminopeptidase N/CD13 Levels Characterize Human Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Drive Their Increased Adipogenic Potential in Obese Women

“…Although maternal fat stores increase in all pregnant women, irrespective of prepregnancy weight [4], the storage capacity of subcutaneous adipose tissue is impaired, and fat predominantly accumulates in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in obeses [5]. VAT is an important risk factor for metabolic imbalance in human subjects, also during pregnancy [6][7][8]. In fact, maternal obesity is related to offspring obesity [9], and there is an increased risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and child [10][11][12][13].…”

Distal 7q11.23 Duplication, an Emerging Microduplication Syndrome: A Case Report and Further Characterisation

“…brains when the YWHAG gene was knocked down, which reflects that a correct dose of the protein product of this gene is necessary for a normal brain development [Cornell et al, 2016]. Furthermore, the obesity seen in our patient may also be explained by the overexpression of this gene as was demonstrated by Capobianco et al [2012] because this gene is also involved in both cellular insulin-mediated glucose transport and lipid metabolism. Concerning HIP1 , it has been demonstrated that its protein is overexpressed in brain cancers [Bradley et al, 2007], which may clarify why patient 2 developed a spinal cord schwannoma.…”