"Fat tissues from these obese mice showed dysfunction, with increased expression of pro-inflammatory agents and decreased expression of hormones responsible for maintaining whole body lipid and glucose stability," he says. "The fat tissues of these mice are not capable of efficiently storing excess calories and are not able to perform proper endocrine functions.

"The adaptive response fails for some reason during chronic caloric overload, leading to the generation of fat tissue mass that is dysfunctional."

Chatterjee says the HDAC9 level in fat cells is the underlying molecular culprit for dysfunctional fat tissue during obesity.

"We are currently examining HDAC9 knockout mice subjected to chronic high-fat feeding and think that HDAC9 gene removal will protect mice from obesity-linked adipose tissue dysfunction and associated metabolic disorders," he says.

"Identification of HDAC9 as a novel regulator of fat cell differentiation and the finding that elevated HDAC9 levels are associated with adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity are extremely interesting and novel findings," he continues.

Chatterjee's team is pursuing studies to understand how diet regulates HDAC9 levels in fat tissue and how HDAC9 up-regulation can be prevented during diet-induced obesity through pharmacological means.

"Our findings may help lead researchers to targeted therapies that may prevent the development of obesity-related disorders in humans."

Source: University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center