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ATLAS

ATLAS Seminar - Fredrik Karpe, University of Oxford

When: Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 10:15 - 11:15
Where:

FredrikKarpe

 

Genetic and epigenetic regulation of regional adiposity

Upper and lower body adipose tissue fat mass show opposite associations with complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Each tissue is composed of specialized adipocytes serving different functions. The upper body adipose tissue has a high lipid turnover and is archetypically responding to fight and flight behaviour whereas the lower body fat tissue is the prime tissue for long-term fat storage. Although a large number of gene variants have been associated with fat distribution, they only explain a very small fraction of the phenotypic variability between people. Epigenetic regulation of human adipose tissue fat distribution is not widely explored as a between-people explanation for fat distribution. The HOTAIR gene which shows both genetic and epigenetic regulation of lower body adipose tissue fat mass will be discussed.

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