Key result
HIV patients had significantly decreased Dicer expression in abdominal subcutaneous fat compared to non-HIV subjects (4.88 vs 17.69, P=0.01), with further reductions in those with lipodystrophy.
Observational (n=27)
HIV patients with lipodystrophy exhibit reduced Dicer and brown/beige fat gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue, suggesting a novel mechanism for their increased cardiometabolic risk.
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May link adipose Dicer loss to cardiometabolic risk in HIV lipodystrophy; hypothesis-generating pending prospective studies.
CONTEXT: HIV patients are at an increased risk for cardiometabolic disease secondary to depot-specific alterations in adipose function, but mechanisms remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The endoribonuclease Dicer has been linked to the modulation of brown and white adipocyte differentiation. We previously demonstrated that Dicer knockout mice undergo transformation of brown adipose tissue to white adipose tissue and develop a lipodystrophic phenotype. We hypothesized reduced Dicer and brown adipose tissue gene expression from nonlipomatous sc fat among HIV patients with a lipodystrophic phenotype. DESIGN: Eighteen HIV (nine with and without lipodystrophic changes in fat distribution, characterized by excess dorsocervical adipose tissue [DCAT]) and nine non-HIV subjects underwent punch biopsy of abdominal sc fat to determine expression of Dicer and other adipose-related genes. RESULTS: HIV subjects with long-duration antiretroviral use demonstrated excess DCAT vs non-HIV subjects (9.8 ± 1.0 vs 6.6 ± 0.8 cm(2), P = .02) with similar body mass index. Dicer expression was decreased in abdominal sc fat of HIV vs non-HIV (4.88 [1.91, 11.93] vs 17.69 [10.72, 47.91], P = .01), as were PPARα, ZIC1, PRDM16, DIO2, and HSP60 (all P ≤ .03). Moreover, the expression of Dicer (2.49 [0.02, 4.88] vs 11.20 [4.83, 21.45], P = .006), brown fat (PPARα [P = .002], ZIC1 [P = .004], LHX8 [P = .03], PRDM16 [P = .0008], PAT2 [P = .008], P2RX5 [P = .02]), beige fat (TMEM26 [P = .004], CD137 [P = .008]), and other genes (DIO2 [P = .002], leptin [P = .003], HSP60 [P = .0004]) was further decreased in abdominal sc fat comparing HIV subjects with vs without excess DCAT. Down-regulation of Dicer in the abdominal sc fat correlated with the down-regulation of all brown and beige fat genes (all P ≤ .01). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate dysfunctional sc adipose tissue marked by reduced Dicer in relationship to the down-regulation of brown and beige fat-related genes in lipodystrophic HIV patients and may provide a novel mechanism for metabolic dysregulation. A strategy to increase browning of white adipose tissue may improve cardiometabolic health in HIV.
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Torriani et al. (2016) conducted an observational in HIV infection and lipodystrophy (n=27). HIV infection and lipodystrophy vs. Non-HIV subjects was evaluated on Dicer expression in abdominal subcutaneous fat (p=.01). HIV patients had significantly decreased Dicer expression in abdominal subcutaneous fat compared to non-HIV subjects (4.88 vs 17.69, P=0.01), with further reductions in those with lipodystrophy.
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