title: Telomere length differences between subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in humans.
abstract: Adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia have been shown to be associated with shorter telomere length, which may reflect aging, altered cell proliferation and adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction. In individuals with obesity, differences in fat distribution and AT cellular composition may contribute to obesity related metabolic diseases. Here, we tested the hypotheses that telomere lengths (TL) are different between: (1) abdominal subcutaneous and omental fat depots, (2) superficial and deep abdominal subcutaneous AT (SAT), and (3) adipocytes and cells of the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). We further asked whether AT TL is related to age, anthropometric and metabolic traits. TL was analyzed by quantitative PCR in total human genomic DNA isolated from paired subcutaneous and visceral AT of 47 lean and 50 obese individuals. In subgroups, we analyzed TL in isolated small and large adipocytes and SVF cells. We find significantly shorter TL in subcutaneous compared to visceral AT (P < 0.001) which is consistent in men and subgroups of lean and obese, and individuals with or without type 2 diabetes (T2D). Shorter TL in SAT is entirely due to shorter TL in the SVF compared to visceral AT (P < 0.01). SAT TL is most strongly correlated with age (r = -0.205, P < 0.05) and independently of age with HbA1c (r = -0.5, P < 0.05). We found significant TL differences between superficial SAT of lean and obese as well as between individuals with our without T2D, but not between the two layers of SAT. Our data indicate that fat depot differences in TL mainly reflect shorter TL of SVF cells. In addition, we found an age and BMI-independent relationship between shorter TL and HbA1c suggesting that chronic hyperglycemia may impair the regenerative capacity of AT more strongly than obesity alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lakowa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Nhu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trieu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Gesine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flehmig
authors.affiliation: Municipal Clinic Dresden-Neustadt, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lohmann
authors.affiliation: Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe, Clinic of Visceral Surgery, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Schön
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; IFB AdiposityDiseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Plastic Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Philip Helge
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Zeplin
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Plastic Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stumvoll
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blüher
authors.affiliation: IFB AdiposityDiseases, Junior Research Group 2 "Animal Models of Obesity", University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: nora.kloeting@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klöting
mesh_terms: D052438:Adipocytes, White / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D048429:Cell Size; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000235:genetics*; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics*; D013851:Thinness / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human
keywords: Adipose tissue; Obesity; T/S ratio; Telomere length; Weight loss