Analysis of differential expression of lipid metabolism-related proteins in adipose tissue exosomes from obese mice

Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui     font:big middle small

Found programs: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No . 82300659) ; Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (No . 2308085QH247) ; Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Educational Committee ( No . ZR2024B006)

Authors:Zhuo Xinzhe1 , Wang Kai2 , Shi Yunan1 , Wang Xiang1 , Yu Jiao1 , Li Jiali 1 , Liu Yidan3 , Wang Xiuyun1

Keywords:obesity; adipose tissue; exosome; proteomic analysis; differentially expressed proteins; lipid metabo- lism-related proteins

DOI:10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000-1492.2025.11.011

〔Abstract〕 To analyze differences in the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related proteins in adi- pose tissue exosomes between obese mice and wild-type mice using proteomic techniques . Methods Wild-type (WT) and obese (ob/ob) model mice of the same age were selected , with 8 mice per group . Adipose tissue from both groups was minced and cultured for 48 hours . Conditioned media was collected , and exosomes were isolated u- sing differential centrifugation . Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry ( LC-MS/MS) was utilized for proteomic analysis to screen differentially expressed proteins ( DEPs) . Gene ontology ( GO) enrichment analysis and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the DEPs . Heatmaps were generated to visualize DEPs expression patterns , and Western blot was employed to validate DEPs expression levels . Results Exosomes were successfully extracted from the culture supernatant of adipose tissues from mice in the WT group and the ob/ob group . Mass spectrometry analysis identified a total of 25 629 peptides and 3 376 proteins . Compared with the WT group , there were 699 proteins with high expression and 632 proteins with low expression in the exosomes derived from adipose tissues of ob/ob mice . Both GO and KEGG analyses showed that DEPs were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways . Heatmap analysis visualized the expression patterns of metabolism-related DEPs , and the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related proteins such as acyl-CoA syn- thetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1) , apolipoprotein E (ApoE) , and albumin (Alb) changed significant- ly in the obese state (P < 0. 05) . Western blot verification results showed that the expression of ApoE and Alb pro- teins in the adipose tissue-derived exosomes of ob/ob mice decreased ( P < 0. 01) . Conclusion The expression levels of lipid metabolism-related proteins , including ACSL1 , ApoE , and Alb , are significantly altered in adipose tissue-derived exosomes from ob/ob mice . These proteins may disrupt lipid homeostasis via exosome-mediated inter- cellular communication , thereby driving the development of obesity-associated metabolic complications , suggesting their potential as molecular therapeutic targets .