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Potential role of increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) transcription in impaired adipogenesis in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Dubois SG, Tchoukalova YD, Heilbronn LK, Albu JB, Kelley DE, Smith SR, Fang X, Ravussin E,

Health & Performance Enhancement Division, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA.

We measured gene expression of paracrine regulators involved in adipocyte differentiation within the stromovascular fraction of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue from obese individuals with (n=30) and without (n=18) type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Despite similar adiposity by design, subjects with T2DM had larger adipocytes (0.92+/-0.28 vs. 0.75+/-0.17 microl, p<0.05) than controls. Gene expression of the adipogenic marker aP2 was lower (0.35+/-0.16 vs. 0.58+/-0.27 arbitrary units, p<0.05) whereas the expression of matricellular peptidase, MMP2 was higher (1.65+/-0.17 vs. 1.27+/-0.21, p=0.02) in T2DM vs. controls. The gene expression levels between the aP2 and MMP2 were inversely correlated (r=-0.32, p=0.03). We conclude that early steps of adipogenesis may be impaired in T2DM independently of obesity due, in part, to an upregulation of the MMP2 transcription.

Published 5 February 2008 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 367(4): 725-8.
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