title: Uncoupling protein-2 gene: reduced mRNA expression in intraperitoneal adipose tissue of obese humans.
abstract: The mitochondrial uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) is a recently discovered homologue of the brown adipose tissue-specific uncoupling protein and could be involved in the regulation of energy balance. Since obesity is associated with disturbed energy homeostasis, we tested the hypothesis that UCP-2 gene expression is deficient in this disorder. We determined, by a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, UCP-2 mRNA expression in intra- and extraperitoneal adipose tissues of 107 morbidly obese subjects and 31 lean control subjects. In both obese and non-obese subjects, UCP-2 mRNA abundance was higher in the intraperitoneal than in the extraperitoneal tissue (p < 0.05), but no association was observed between intra- and extraperitoneal expression in either group. Compared with lean control subjects, both male and female obese subjects displayed significantly lower average UCP-2 mRNA expression in the intraperitoneal adipose tissue (p < 0.006), while UCP-2 mRNA abundance in extraperitoneal adipose tissue was not different between obese and non-obese men and women. Intraperitoneal UCP-2 mRNA remained low in nine obese subjects who lost 23 +/- 12 kg of weight over a period of 10 +/- 5 months subsequent to weight reducing surgery. These data support the concept that impaired adipose tissue expression of UCP2 may play a role in the pathophysiology of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Landeskrankenanstalten Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oberkofler
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Esterbauer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hell
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krempler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Patsch
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D010537:Peritoneum; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D014475:Uncoupling Agents; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C000604389:UCP2 protein, human; D014475:Uncoupling Agents; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase