Epigenetic Regulations of Genes Related to Lipid Metabolism by MicroRNA in Mice Fed High Fat Diet

Abstract

BackgroundHigh fat diet impacts lipid metabolism by altering the transportation, oxidation, and storage of fatty acids. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a critical role in lipid metabolism by catalyzing triglyceride hydrolysis and lipoprotein uptake in multiple tissues. Previous study reported that miR‐29b negatively regulated LPL expression in mammary epithelial cells transfected with miR‐29b mimics. The present study investigated changes in LPL expression and epigenetic mechanisms by miR‐29 family in different tissues in mice fed a high fat diet.MethodFive‐week old male CBA mice were fed with either a control diet (Con group, 10% kcal from diet) or a high fat diet (HF group, 45% kcal from diet) ad libitum for 11 weeks.ResultsLPL mRNA was increased in adipose, muscle and colon in response to high fat diet. However, LPL mRNA expression decreased in the liver by high fat diet as well as hepatic lipase (HL). The results also showed the highest expression level of LPL mRNA in adipose tissue, followed by muscle, colon, and liver. Cpt1a mRNA, an important gene related to beta oxidation, was increased in adipose, muscle, colon, and liver in the HF group. Moreover, Cpt1a mRNA expression was the highest in liver followed by adipose, muscle, and colon. Meanwhile, high fat diet reduced the expression of miR‐29a, a predicted suppressor of LPL from miR‐29 family, in adipose tissue.ConclusionThe present results indicated that the triglyceride hydrolysis could be activated by high fat diet in other tissues than the liver and fatty acid transportation could be induced in mitochondria. Overall, LPL and Cpt1a mRNA changed differently in multiple tissue in response to high fat diet and is potentially post‐transcriptionally regulated by microRNA.Support or Funding InformationSource of research support (in a separate textbox): Campus Research Board of University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign and the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, Hatch project numbers # ILLU‐698‐923 and ILLU‐698‐379This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.