Project description:Background: Obesity is associated with infiltration of macrophages into adipose tissue. Adipose macrophages may contribute to an elevated inflammatory status by secreting a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNFalpha and IL-6. Recent data suggest that during diet-induced obesity the phenotype of adipose-resident macrophages changes from alternatively activated macrophages towards a more classical and pro-inflammatory phenotype. Here, we explore the effect of PPARγ-activation on obesity-induced inflammation in 129SV mice fed a high fat diet for 20 weeks. High fat feeding increased bodyweight gain, adipose tissue mass and liver triglycerides. Rosiglitazone treatment further increased adipose mass, reduced liver triglycerides and changed adipose tissue morphology towards smaller adipocytes. Surprisingly, rosiglitazone markedly increased the number of macrophages in adipose tissue, as shown by immunohistochemical analysis and quantification of macrophage marker genes CD68 and F4/80+. In adipose tissue, markers for classically activated macrophages including IL-18 were down regulated whereas markers characteristic for alternatively activated macrophages (Arginase 1, IL-10) were up regulated by rosiglitazone. Importantly, conditioned media from rosiglitazone-treated alternatively activated macrophages neutralized the inhibitory effect of macrophages on 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation, suggesting that alternatively activated macrophages may be involved in mediating the effects of rosiglitazone on adipose tissue morphology and mass. Our results suggest that short term rosiglitazone treatment increases infiltration of alternatively activated macrophages in adipose tissue. The alternatively activated macrophages might play a role in PPARγ-dependent expansion and remodeling of adipose tissue. Keywords: metabolic state analysis
Project description:Background: Obesity is associated with infiltration of macrophages into adipose tissue. Adipose macrophages may contribute to an elevated inflammatory status by secreting a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNFalpha and IL-6. Recent data suggest that during diet-induced obesity the phenotype of adipose-resident macrophages changes from alternatively activated macrophages towards a more classical and pro-inflammatory phenotype. Here, we explore the effect of PPARγ-activation on obesity-induced inflammation in 129SV mice fed a high fat diet for 20 weeks. High fat feeding increased bodyweight gain, adipose tissue mass and liver triglycerides. Rosiglitazone treatment further increased adipose mass, reduced liver triglycerides and changed adipose tissue morphology towards smaller adipocytes. Surprisingly, rosiglitazone markedly increased the number of macrophages in adipose tissue, as shown by immunohistochemical analysis and quantification of macrophage marker genes CD68 and F4/80+. In adipose tissue, markers for classically activated macrophages including IL-18 were down regulated whereas markers characteristic for alternatively activated macrophages (Arginase 1, IL-10) were up regulated by rosiglitazone. Importantly, conditioned media from rosiglitazone-treated alternatively activated macrophages neutralized the inhibitory effect of macrophages on 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation, suggesting that alternatively activated macrophages may be involved in mediating the effects of rosiglitazone on adipose tissue morphology and mass. Our results suggest that short term rosiglitazone treatment increases infiltration of alternatively activated macrophages in adipose tissue. The alternatively activated macrophages might play a role in PPARγ-dependent expansion and remodeling of adipose tissue. Keywords: metabolic state analysis Pure bred wild-type (129S1/SvImJ) male mice received a low fat diet or high fat diet for 21 weeks, providing 10 or 45% energy percent in the form of triglycerides (D12450B or D12451, Research Diets, New Brunswick, USA). The lard component in these diets was replaced by palm oil. In the last week of diet intervention, half of the mice receiving the HFD were switched to HFD supplemented with Rosiglitazone (0.01 % wt/wt). Animals were sacrificed in the fed state. Epididymal adipose tissue was excised and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Pooled RNA samples from 5 mice per experimental group were used for microarray analysis. Samples were hybridized on Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Genome 430-2.0 plus arrays. Five microgram total RNA was labelled according to the Affymetrix One-cycle Target Labeling Assay, fragmented and hybridized according to Affymetrix's protocols.
Project description:Macrophage activation must be tightly controlled to prevent overzealous responses that cause self-damage. MicroRNAs have been shown to promote classical macrophage activation by blocking concomitant anti-inflammatory signals and transcription factors, but can also place restraints on activation by preventing excessive TLR-signalling. In contrast, the microRNA profile associated with alternatively activated macrophages and their role in regulating wound-healing or anti-helminthic responses has not yet been described. Utilizing an in vivo model of alternative activation, in which adult Brugia malayi nematodes are surgically implanted in the peritoneal cavity of mice, we examined the profile of microRNA expression in these alternatively activated macrophages and compared this to alternatively activated IL-4 receptor knockout macrophages and thioglycollate elicited macrophages. Peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c wild type or IL-4 receptor knockout mice were elicited with thioglycollate or using nemtodes (peritoneal implant of Brugia malayi). The latter leads to a population of alternatively activated macrophages. Microarray analysis was used to examine the microRNA profile of WT alternatively activated macrophages (n = 4), IL-4 receptor knockout alternatively activated macrophages (n = 4), WT thioglycollate elicited macrophages (n = 3) and IL-4 receptor knockout thioglycollate elicited macrophages (n = 3).
Project description:Activation of inflammatory pathways is one plausible mechanism underlying the association between obesity and increased breast cancer risk. However, macrophage infiltration and local biomarkers of inflammation in breast adipose tissue have seldom been studied in association with obesity. Gene expression profiles of normal breast tissue from reduction mammoplasty patients were evaluated by whole genome microarrays to identify patterns associated with obesity status (normal-weight, body mass index (BMI) <25; overweight, BMI 25-29.9; obese, BMI > or equal to 30). The presence of macrophage-enriched inflammatory loci with immunopositivity for CD68 protein was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). After adjusting for confounding by age, 760 genes were differentially expressed (203 up and 557 down; FDR = 0.026) between normal-weight and obese women. Gene ontology analysis suggested significant enrichment for pathways involving IL-6, IL-8, CCR5 signaling in macrophages and RXRalpha and PPARalpha activation, consistent with a pro-inflammatory state and suggestive of macrophage infiltration. Gene set enrichment analysis also demonstrated that the genomic signatures of monocytes and macrophages were over-represented in the obese group with FDR of 0.08 and 0.13, respectively. Increased macrophage infiltration was confirmed by IHC, which showed that the breast adipose tissue of obese women had higher average macrophage counts (mean = 8.96 vs. 3.56 in normal-weight women) and inflammatory foci counts (mean = 4.91 vs. 2.67 in normal-weight women). Obesity is associated with local inflammation and macrophage infiltration in normal human breast adipose tissues. Given the role of macrophages in carcinogenesis, these findings have important implications for breast cancer etiology and progression. 72 normal breast tissue samples from patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty. Reference design.
Project description:PPAR? promotes adipogenesis while Wnt proteins inhibit adipogenesis. However, the mechanisms that control expression of these positive and negative master regulators of adipogenesis remain incompletely understood. By genome-wide histone methylation profiling in preadipocytes, we find that among gene loci encoding adipogenesis regulators, histone methyltransferase (HMT) G9a-mediated repressive epigenetic mark H3K9me2 is enriched on the entire PPAR? locus. H3K9me2 and G9a levels decrease during adipogenesis, which correlates inversely with induction of PPAR?. Removal of H3K9me2 by G9a deletion enhances chromatin opening and binding of adipogenic transcription factor C/EBP-beta to PPAR? promoter, which promotes PPAR? expression. Interestingly, G9a represses PPAR? expression in an HMT activity-dependent manner but facilitates Wnt10a expression independent of its enzymatic activity. Consistently, deletion of G9a or inhibiting G9a HMT activity promotes adipogenesis. Finally, deletion of G9a in mouse adipose tissues increases adipogenic gene expression and tissue weight. Thus, by inhibiting PPAR? expression and facilitating Wnt10a expression, G9a represses adipogenesis. Examination of 3 different histone modification changes in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes