title: Cross-sectional associations of acylation stimulating protein (ASP) and adipose tissue gene expression with estradiol and progesterone in pre- and postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sex steroid hormones play an important regulatory role in fat metabolism and obesity. We hypothesized involvement of interactions between ovarian hormones with acylation stimulating protein (ASP).
  
  
  METHODS
  In 392 women with wide age (18-69 years) and body size (BMI: 17 to 90 kg/m(2) ) ranges, fasting plasma levels of ASP, ovarian hormones, glucose, adiponectin and lipids/apolipoproteins were assessed, along with determination of metabolic syndrome (MS) features. Gene expression of C3 (ASP precursor) and related receptors C5L2, C3aR and C5aR in subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues was measured in a subset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acylation stimulating protein correlated negatively with concentrations of estradiol (P < 0·0001), adiponectin (P < 0·001) and apolipoprotein A1 (P < 0·001) and positively with apolipoprotein B levels (P < 0·001), systolic blood pressure (P < 0·001), waist circumference (P < 0·001), and triglyceride concentrations (P < 0·01). In age-matched groups of lean, overweight, metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and obese with metabolic syndrome (MSO), there was a stepwise increase in ASP levels (P < 0·001) while concentrations of adiponectin (P < 0·0001) and estradiol (P < 0·001) but not those of progesterone decreased. Progesterone but not estradiol levels correlated positively with C3 gene expression in omental adipose tissue (P < 0·05) and negatively with C5L2 expression in both omental (P < 0·01) and subcutaneous (P < 0·05) adipose tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results are consistent with the concept that sex hormones differentially influence circulating ASP and adipose tissue gene expression of its related proteins in a depot-specific manner. ASP may play a role in the regulation of regional fat metabolism through interactions with sex hormones in women.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie & Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rezvani
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poursharifi
authors.forename: Picard
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marceau
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pérusse
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tchernof
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cianflone
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015926:Complement C3a / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C044541:complement C3a, des-Arg-(77)-; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D015926:Complement C3a