The common pathophysiologic threads between Asian Indian diabetic’s ‘Thin Fat Phenotype’ and partial lipodystrophy: the peripheral adipose tissue transcriptomic evidences

ABSTRACT

T2D is a complex disease with poorly understood mechanisms. In Asian Indians, it is associated with “thin fat” phenotype which resembles with partial lipodystrophy. We hypothesized that disturbed expression of lipodystrophy genes might play a role in T2D pathogenesis. Therefore, we attempted to establish a link between these two diseases by studying the overlap between the network of lipodystrophy genes and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the peripheral subcutaneous adipose tissue of Asian Indians diabetics. We found that 16, out of 138 lipodystrophy genes were differentially regulated in diabetics and around 18% overlap between their network and the DEGs; the expression level of lipodystrophy genes showed an association with disease-related intermediate phenotypic traits among diabetics but not in the control group. We also attempted to individualize the diabetic patients based on ±2 fold altered expression of lipodystrophy genes as compared to their average expression in the control group. In conclusion, significant overlap exists between some of the lipodystrophy genes and their network with DEGs in the peripheral adipose tissue in diabetics. They possibly play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and individualization of diabetics is possible based on their altered expression in their peripheral adipose tissue.

KEYWORDS:

• Lipodystrophy
• type 2 diabetes
• network biology
• WGCNA

Acknowledgments

SM and AS gratefully acknowledge Principal, S.M.S. Medical College & hospital, Jaipur (Rajasthan) India, and Vice-Chancellor, GLA University, Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) INDIA for providing the necessary infrastructural facility to carry out this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Authors’ contributions

PT and AK were involved in collecting samples, PT was involved in biochemical characterization of the tissues, AS and NW analyzed the DEGs using RMA and Bioconductor. AS implemented the WGCNA methodology. PT and AK performed qPCR validation. SM was involved in leading the investigations and recruiting the cohorts. All authors read and approved the proof of the manuscript before submission.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

Financial grant received from the Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India is gratefully acknowledged [Grant no 5/4/8/2012-RMC].