Apolipoproteins A-I, B, and C-III and Obesity in Young Adult Cherokee

Metabolically Healthy Obesity: Are Interventions Useful?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to detail the current global research state of metabolically healthy obesogenesis with regard to metabolic factors, disease prevalence, comparisons to unhealthy obesity, and targeted interventions to reverse or delay progression from metabolically healthy to unhealthy obesity.

RECENT FINDINGS

As a long-term condition with increased risk of cardiovascular, metabolic, and all-cause mortality risks, obesity threatens public health on a national level. The recent discovery of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), a transitional condition during which obese persons carry comparatively lower health risks, has added to confusion about the true effect of visceral fat and subsequent long-term health risks. In this context, the evaluation of fat loss interventions, such as bariatric surgery, lifestyle changes (diet/exercise), and hormonal therapies require re-evaluation in light of evidence that progression to high-risk stages of obesity relies on metabolic status and that strategies to protect the metabolism may be useful in the prevention of metabolically unhealthy obesity. Typical calorie-based exercise and diet interventions have failed to reduce the prevalence of unhealthy obesity. Holistic lifestyle, psychological, hormonal, and pharmacological interventions for MHO, on the other hand, may at least prevent progression to metabolically unhealthy obesity.

Association between clinical symptoms and apolipoprotein A1 or apolipoprotein B levels is regulated by apolipoprotein E variant rs429358 in patients with chronic schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphisms are correlated with blood lipid levels and several neuropsychiatric symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether the ApoE rs429358 affected the development and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and to explore the relationship between apolipoproteins levels and clinical symptoms.

METHODS

The ApoE rs429358 was genotyped using a case-control design. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was employed to evaluate the psychopathology of all patients.

RESULTS

A total of 637 patients with schizophrenia and 467 healthy controls were recruited. We found no significant differences in the genotype and allele distribution between the patient and control groups. A significant correlation between PANSS negative symptoms and ApoA1 levels (p = 0.048) or ApoB levels (p = 0.001) was found in patients with schizophrenia, which was also confirmed by linear regression analyses (p = 0.048 vs. p = 0.001). Interestingly, only in the T homozygote group, ApoA1 and ApoB levels were predictors of the PANSS negative symptom score (p = 0.008 vs. p = 0.012), while in the C allele carrier group, no correlation was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that the levels of ApoA1 and ApoB were negatively associated with negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the association between ApoA1 or ApoB levels and psychopathology of schizophrenia was regulated by ApoE rs429358.

Promoter Methylation Regulates ApoA-I Gene Transcription in Chicken Abdominal Adipose Tissue

As a central constituent of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) has a vital function in lipid metabolism. Our previous studies confirmed that ApoA-I was differentially expressed in the adipose tissue of the abdomen of lean and fat broilers. The aim of the current work was to evaluate whether the transcription of ApoA-I in chicken abdominal adipose tissue was regulated by DNA methylation. The methylation status of ApoA-I promoter CpG island (PCGI) and promoter non-CpG island (PNCGI) as well as the ApoA-I expression level in adipose tissue of lean and fat broilers were determined using Sequenom MassARRAY and real-time PCR. The correlation analysis results showed that the methylation level of PCGI and the ApoA-I mRNA expression level were negatively correlated. Bisulfite sequencing PCR was used to assess the methylation level of ApoA-I promoter in the ICP1 cells treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR: an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase). The result showed that 5-Aza-CdR caused a reduction in the methylation level of the ApoA-I promoter, thereby causing an increase in expression of the ApoA-I mRNA. Meanwhile, luciferase reporter assays indicated that in vitro methylation of the ApoA-I promoter containing CpG island with CpG methyltransferase led to transcriptional repression. Furthermore, the noticeable activation of NRF1 on ApoA-I transcription was largely enhanced  by the demethylation of the ApoA-I PCGI region. These observations indicated that the differential expression of ApoA-I gene in the adipose tissue of broilers could be mediated by transcription regulation, at least in part by DNA methylation in its PCGI region.