Transcriptomic differences in intra-abdominal adipose tissue in extremely obese adolescents with different stages of NAFLD.

Mechanisms responsible for progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to steatohepatitis (NASH) remain poorly defined. To examine the potential contribution of adipose tissue to NAFLD progression, we performed a complete transcriptomic analysis using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) on intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAT) from severely obese adolescents [Mage 16.9 ± 0.4 yr, body mass index (BMI) z-score 2.7 ± 0.1] undergoing bariatric surgery and liver biopsy categorized into three groups: no steatosis (normal, n = 8), steatosis only (n = 13), or NASH (n = 10) by liver histology. Age, body weight, and BMI did not differ among groups, but subjects with NASH were more insulin resistant (increased homeostatic model assessment/insulin resistance, P < 0.05 vs. other groups). RNA-Seq revealed 175 up- and 492 downregulated mRNA transcripts (≥±1.5-fold, false discovery rate <0.10) in IAT between NASH vs. Normal, with "mitochondrial dysfunction, P = 4.19E-7" being the top regulated canonical pathway identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis; only 19 mRNA transcripts were up- and 148 downregulated when comparing Steatosis vs. Normal, with suppression of "EIF2 signaling, P = 1.79E-27" being the top regulated pathway indicating increased cellular stress. A comparison of IAT between NASH vs. Steatosis found 515 up- and 175 downregulated genes, with "antigen presentation, P = 6.03E-18" being the top regulated canonical pathway and "inflammatory response" the top diseases and disorders function. Unique transcriptomic differences exist in IAT from severely obese adolescents with distinct stages of NAFLD, providing an important resource for identifying potential novel therapeutic targets for childhood NASH.

Unique transcriptomic signature of omental adipose tissue in Ossabaw swine: a model of childhood obesity.

To better understand the impact of childhood obesity on intra-abdominal adipose tissue phenotype, a complete transcriptomic analysis using deep RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on omental adipose tissue (OMAT) obtained from lean and Western diet-induced obese juvenile Ossabaw swine. Obese animals had 88% greater body mass, 49% greater body fat content, and a 60% increase in OMAT adipocyte area (all P < 0.05) compared with lean pigs. RNA-seq revealed a 37% increase in the total transcript number in the OMAT of obese pigs. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed transcripts in obese OMAT were primarily enriched in the following categories: 1) development, 2) cellular function and maintenance, and 3) connective tissue development and function, while transcripts associated with RNA posttranslational modification, lipid metabolism, and small molecule biochemistry were reduced. DAVID and Gene Ontology analyses showed that many of the classically recognized gene pathways associated with adipose tissue dysfunction in obese adults including hypoxia, inflammation, angiogenesis were not altered in OMAT in our model. The current study indicates that obesity in juvenile Ossabaw swine is characterized by increases in overall OMAT transcript number and provides novel data describing early transcriptomic alterations that occur in response to excess caloric intake in visceral adipose tissue in a pig model of childhood obesity.