Sex and diet shape fat tissue lipid profiles in obesity
In obesity, adipose tissue expands and accumulates, driving chronic inflammation. Previous research showed that sex steroid hormones can influence adipose tissue distribution, accumulation and immune responses in men and women. Changes in lipid composition in the visceral or gonadal white adipose tissue, or GWAT, during obesity can drive immune cell accumulation and boost proinflammatory mediators. Prior studies revealed sex differences in GWAT lipid species in obese mice, but scientists still do not understand the exact role of sex hormones in lipid composition.
In a recent study in the Journal of Lipid Research, Mita Varghese and a team of researchers at the University of Michigan investigated the GWAT lipid profiles in obese mice and mice with their gonads surgically removed, or GX mice. In an untargeted lipidomics analysis where they comprehensively analyzed all lipids, they found sex differences in several lipid species, such as phospholipids and sphingolipids, which are important cell membrane components. Obese males had significantly more precursor fatty acids than females and GX mice. Targeted analysis revealed sex differences in polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, with males showing a significantly higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. They also found diet-driven differences in oxylipins, inflammation-linked lipids, which were higher in both male and female obese mice than in lean mice.
This study suggests that sex hormone levels and diet equally induce inflammation and changes in lipid composition in obesity. Future studies include further confirming lipid profiles and understanding how sex differences arise in obesity.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles
Blood proteomics reveals fungal infection signatures for faster diagnosis
Whole-blood proteomics identifies more than 3,000 host and 160 fungal proteins during cryptococcal infection, offering potential biomarkers for faster diagnosis and improved monitoring without invasive spinal taps.
When things get SAPpy: Novel insights into complement
Researchers have defined interactions between an innate immune protein and two of its known binding partners. They identified potential areas of crosstalk between the two binding interactions.
Glutathione pathway implicated in rare disease
Researchers found that glutathione metabolism plays a central role in the pathogenesis of rare disease methylmalonic aciduria using a novel multiomics approach.
A p-value for proteins
Kyoto University researchers developed UniScore, a new tool that uses a target-decoy method to filter false positives in proteomic searches, helping scientists set thresholds and improve reliability when analyzing complex protein data.
Novel way to uncover tumor microenvironment proteomics
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a novel single-cell approach that facilitates the study of proteins surrounding lung cancer cells.
Sizing up cells: How stem cells know when to divide
Stanford University researchers find that stem cells control their size early in cell division across living multicellular systems.