title: Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein gene expression in adipose tissue is related with insulin resistance and lipolytic genes in morbidly obese patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Zinc-α(2) glycoprotein (ZAG) stimulates lipid loss by adipocytes and may be involved in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism. However, to date no studies have been made in the most extreme of obesity. The aims of this study are to analyze ZAG expression levels in adipose tissue from morbidly obese patients, and their relationship with lipogenic and lipolytic genes and with insulin resistance (IR).
  
  
  METHODS
  mRNA expression levels of PPARγ, IRS-1, IRS-2, lipogenic and lipolytic genes and ZAG were quantified in visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of 25 nondiabetic morbidly obese patients, 11 with low IR and 14 with high IR. Plasma ZAG was also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The morbidly obese patients with low IR had a higher VAT ZAG expression as compared with the patients with high IR (p = 0.023). In the patients with low IR, the VAT ZAG expression was greater than that in SAT (p = 0.009). ZAG expression correlated between SAT and VAT (r = 0.709, p<0.001). VAT ZAG expression was mainly predicted by insulin, HOMA-IR, plasma adiponectin and expression of adiponectin and ACSS2. SAT ZAG expression was only predicted by expression of ATGL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ZAG could be involved in modulating lipid metabolism in adipose tissue and is associated with insulin resistance. These findings suggest that ZAG may be a useful target in obesity and related disorders, such as diabetes.
authors.affiliation: CIBERDEM, Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII, Pere Virgili Institute, Tarragona, Spain. lourgarrido@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garrido-Sánchez
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Fuentes
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernández-García
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Escoté
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alcaide
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perez-Martinez
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vendrell
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tinahones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D055504:Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008066:Lipolysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D029589:Seminal Plasma Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000090203:Zn-Alpha-2-Glycoprotein
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C526292:IRS1 protein, human; D055504:Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins; D047495:PPAR gamma; D029589:Seminal Plasma Proteins; D000090203:Zn-Alpha-2-Glycoprotein; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases; C568454:marneral synthase, Arabidopsis