title: Role of thrombospondin-2 in murine adipose tissue angiogenesis and development.
abstract: Expression of thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2), a matricellular protein with anti-angiogenic properties, is modulated in developing adipose tissue. To investigate a potential functional role of TSP-2 in adipose tissue angiogenesis and growth, TSP-2 deficient (TSP-2(-/-)) and wild-type littermate (TSP-2(+/+)) mice were kept on normal chow (standard fat diet (SFD)) or on high fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks. TSP-2(-/-) mice kept on HFD had a significantly lower total body weight throughout the experimental period. Subcutaneous (SC) and gonadal (GON) fat mass were, however, not different, and their composition in terms of size and density of adipocytes and blood vessels was also comparable in both genotypes. Macrophage infiltration in SC or GON adipose tissues was not affected by TSP-2 deficiency. TSP-2 deficiency had no effect on adipose tissue mRNA expression of gelatinase A (MMP-2), whereas gelatinase B (MMP-9) was downregulated in SC and GON adipose tissues of TSP-2(-/-) mice on HFD. Glucose tolerance and insulin resistance tests were comparable for TSP-2(+/+) and TSP-2(-/-) mice. TSP-2 deficiency was not compensated by increased expression of TSP-1 in the TSP-2(-/-) mice. These data suggest that TSP-2, despite its reported anti-angiogenic properties, does not play an important functional role in adipose tissue related angiogenesis or associated fat development in mice.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Hul
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frederix
authors.forename: H Roger
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lijnen
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D019699:Thrombospondins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099262:Thrombospondin 2
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; D019699:Thrombospondins; D000099262:Thrombospondin 2