title: Differentiation-induced production of ASP in human adipocytes.
abstract: Acylation Stimulating Protein (ASP) is a human plasma protein that stimulates both triacylglycerol synthesis and glucose transport. ASP is identical to C3adesArg and is generated by the interaction of factor B, complement C3 and adipsin. We have demonstrated that mature fat cells express messages for factors B, complement C3 and adipsin; that human pre-adipocytes, when cultured under differentiating conditions to produce adipocytes, generate ASP in the culture medium; and that human adipocytes also become more responsive to ASP as they differentiate. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the temporal production of ASP during adipocyte differentiation in relation to other adipose specific factors involved in lipogenesis. The results demonstrate that (i) there was little ASP production by differentiating adipocytes over the first 7 days, with a marked increase in ASP thereafter (up to sixfold); (ii) this increase was paralleled by large increases in the message level of factor B and complement C3 and moderate increases in adipsin message; (iii) increases in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) message and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity (both key enzymes for substrate supply for triacylglycerol synthesis) occurred earlier than the increase in ASP; and (iv) in spite of the increase in LPL and GPDH, triacylglycerol synthetic capacity only markedly increases following the increase in ASP production in adipocytes. Although the present study cannot be interpreted as showing causality with respect to triacylglycerol synthesis, it does point to an important role for ASP in human adipose tissue physiology.
authors.affiliation: McGill Unit for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cianflone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maslowska
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000378:metabolism; D015926:Complement C3a / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D011416:Complement Factor D; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D003176:Complement C3; D017931:DNA Primers; D014280:Triglycerides; C044541:complement C3a, des-Arg-(77)-; D015926:Complement C3a; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C493488:CFD protein, human; D011416:Complement Factor D