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Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene Enhances Oxidative Stress and Lipogenesis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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Abstract

Background and Aim

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have found that fat mass and the obesity-associated (FTO) gene is linked to obesity. The aim of this work is to investigate the expression and function of FTO in liver with lipid metabolism diseases.

Methods

We investigated the basal FTO expression in an NAFLD rat model and compared it with control subjects. The function of FTO in lipid metabolism was further studied in L02 cells through overexpression experiments.

Results

A significant increase in FTO mRNA and protein levels was found in the NAFLD group. In addition, the FTO levels were positively associated with malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase concentrations. FTO overexpression in L02 cells enhanced lipogenesis and oxidative stress.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that increased FTO levels in the liver are involved in oxidative stress and lipid deposition, which characterize NAFLD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30971405, 81170252, 81070656), the National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB535008, 973 Program), Medical Academic Key Talent Program of Jiangsu Province in China (2007200), the Jiangsu Province Innovation Project for Graduate Students of China (CXZZ11_0708), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2012M510850) and Shanghai Postdoctoral Sustentation Fund (12R21414700).

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China

    Jianjin Guo, Kuanfeng Xu, Heng Chen, Xinyu Xu & Tao Yang

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Diabetes Mellitus, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Shanghai Clinical Center for Diabetes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai, 200233, China

    Wei Ren, Cheng Hu & Weiping Jia

  3. The Center of Metabolic Disease Research, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu Province, China

    Aimei Li, Ying Ding & Dongming Su

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Gulou Hospital, Medical College of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, Jiangsu Province, China

    Aimei Li & Wanhua Guo

Authors
  1. Jianjin Guo
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  2. Wei Ren
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  3. Aimei Li
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  4. Ying Ding
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  5. Wanhua Guo
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  6. Dongming Su
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  7. Cheng Hu
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  8. Kuanfeng Xu
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  9. Heng Chen
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  10. Xinyu Xu
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  11. Tao Yang
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  12. Weiping Jia
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tao Yang or Weiping Jia.

Additional information

Jianjin Guo and Wei Ren contributed equally to this work.

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Guo, J., Ren, W., Li, A. et al. Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene Enhances Oxidative Stress and Lipogenesis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Dig Dis Sci 58, 1004–1009 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2516-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2516-6

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