title: Adipose tissue fatty acid chain length and mono-unsaturation increases with obesity and insulin resistance.
abstract: The non-essential fatty acids, C18:1n9, C16:0, C16:1n7, C18:0 and C18:1n7 account for over 75% of fatty acids in white adipose (WAT) triacylglycerol (TAG). The relative composition of these fatty acids (FA) is influenced by the desaturases, SCD1-4 and the elongase, ELOVL6. In knock-out models, loss of SCD1 or ELOVL6 results in reduced Δ9 desaturated and reduced 18-carbon non-essential FA respectively. Both Elovl6 KO and SCD1 KO mice exhibit improved insulin sensitivity. Here we describe the relationship between WAT TAG composition in obese mouse models and obese humans stratified for insulin resistance. In mouse models with increasing obesity and insulin resistance, there was an increase in scWAT Δ9 desaturated FAs (SCD ratio) and FAs with 18-carbons (Elovl6 ratio) in mice. Data from mouse models discordant for obesity and insulin resistance (AKT2 KO, Adiponectin aP2-transgenic), suggested that scWAT TAG Elovl6 ratio was associated with insulin sensitivity, whereas SCD1 ratio was associated with fat mass. In humans, a greater SCD1 and Elovl6 ratio was found in metabolically more harmful visceral adipose tissue when compared to subcutaneous adipose tissue.
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, MDU MRC. Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ.
authors.forename: Chong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yew Tan
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, MDU MRC. Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Virtue
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murfitt
authors.forename: Lee D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA.|Medical Research Council - Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL, Uk.
authors.forename: Lee D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA.
authors.forename: Yi Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Phua
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, MDU MRC. Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA.|Medical Research Council - Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, 120 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NL, Uk.
authors.forename: Julian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: UGC Endocrinologia y Nutrición (IBIMA), Hospital Virgen de la Victoria. CIBER of Physiopathology, Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tinahones
authors.affiliation: Touchstone Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Philipp E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, MDU MRC. Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ.|Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Uk.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidal-Puig
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000630955:ELOVL6 protein, human; C000630968:Elovl6 protein, mouse; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014280:Triglycerides; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase