title: Molecular and morphologic characterization of superficial- and deep-subcutaneous adipose tissue subdivisions in human obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human abdominal subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SAT) is composed of two different subcompartments: a "superficial" SAT (SSAT), located between the skin and a fibrous-fascia plane; and a deeper SAT, located under this fibrous fascia plane, indicated as "deep" SAT (DSAT).
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to investigate whether SSAT and DSAT have different molecular and morphological features, paired SSAT/DSAT biopsies were collected from 10 female obese patients and used for microarray and morphologic analysis. The stroma-vascular fraction cells were also isolated from both depots and cultured in vitro to assess the lipid accumulation rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SSAT and DSAT displayed different patterns of gene expression, mainly for metabolic and inflammatory genes, respectively. Detailed gene expression analysis indicated that several metabolic genes, including adiponectin, are preferentially expressed in SSAT, whereas inflammatory genes are over-expressed in DSAT. Despite a similar lipid accumulation rate in vitro, in vivo SSAT showed a significant adipocyte hypertrophy together with a significantly lower inflammatory infiltration and vascular vessel lumen mean size, when compared to DSAT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that, SSAT and DSAT are functionally and morphologically different and emphasize the importance of considering independent these two adipose depots when investigating SAT biology and obesity complications.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cancello
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zulian
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gentilini
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maestrini
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Della Barba
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Invitti
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corà
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caselle
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liuzzi
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Blasio
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D052242:Adiponectin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D050507:Subcutaneous Fat, Abdominal / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin