Sona Margaryan1, Agata Witkowicz2, Anna Partyka2, Levon Yepiskoposyan3, Gayane Manukyan1, Lidia Karabon4. 1. Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Immunology, Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia. 2. Laboratory of Immunopathology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland. 3. Laboratory of Ethnogenomics, Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia 4Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, Yerevan, Armenia. 4. aboratory of Immunopathology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are metabolic disorders whose major hallmark is insulin resistance. Impaired mitochondrial activity, such as reduced ratio of energy production to respiration, has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are proton carriers, expressed in the mitochondrial inner membrane, that uncouple oxygen consumption by the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine transcriptional levels of UCP1 and UCP2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with metabolic disorders: T2DM, obesity and from healthy individuals. MATERIAL/ METHODS: The mRNA levels of UCP1, UCP2 were determined by Real-Time PCR method using Applied Biosystems assays. RESULTS: The UCP1 mRNA expression level was not detectable in the majority of studied samples, while very low expression was found in PBMCs from 3 obese persons. UCP2 mRNA expression level was detectable in all samples. The median mRNA expression of UCP2 was lower in all patients with metabolic disorders as compared to the controls (0.20+0.14 vs. 0.010+0.009, p=0.05). When compared separately, the differences of medians UCP2 mRNA expression level between the obese individuals and the controls as well as between the T2DM patients and the controls did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased UCP2 gene expression in mononuclear cells from obese and diabetic patients might contribute to the immunological abnormalities in these metabolic disorders and suggests its role as a candidate gene in future studies of obesity and diabetes.
INTRODUCTION:Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are metabolic disorders whose major hallmark is insulin resistance. Impaired mitochondrial activity, such as reduced ratio of energy production to respiration, has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are proton carriers, expressed in the mitochondrial inner membrane, that uncouple oxygen consumption by the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine transcriptional levels of UCP1 and UCP2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with metabolic disorders: T2DM, obesity and from healthy individuals. MATERIAL/ METHODS: The mRNA levels of UCP1, UCP2 were determined by Real-Time PCR method using Applied Biosystems assays. RESULTS: The UCP1 mRNA expression level was not detectable in the majority of studied samples, while very low expression was found in PBMCs from 3 obesepersons. UCP2 mRNA expression level was detectable in all samples. The median mRNA expression of UCP2 was lower in all patients with metabolic disorders as compared to the controls (0.20+0.14 vs. 0.010+0.009, p=0.05). When compared separately, the differences of medians UCP2 mRNA expression level between the obese individuals and the controls as well as between the T2DM patients and the controls did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased UCP2 gene expression in mononuclear cells from obese and diabeticpatients might contribute to the immunological abnormalities in these metabolic disorders and suggests its role as a candidate gene in future studies of obesity and diabetes.
Entities:
Keywords:
mRNA expression levels; mononuclear cells; type 2 diabetes mellitus