Induction of gene expression in response to globular adiponectin in vascular endothelial cells

AimsAdiponectin is an adipocyte-specific protein that plays an important regulatory role in the development or prevention of diabetes and atherosclerosis.Main methodsIn the present study, we examined the effect of a proteolytic cleavage product of adiponectin, known as globular adiponectin (gAd), on induction of gene expression and activation of various signaling pathways in vascular endothelial cells.Key findingsWe showed that gAd induces the expression of a number of genes using PCR arrays, including MCP-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin, IL-6, and IL-8, all of which have been previously shown to be associated with adiponectin, as well as SOD2, PAI-1, and CSF2, which is a new finding. We also demonstrated that gAd activates AMPK, Akt, and NF-kB, as well as various MAPKs, including ERK1/2, JNK, and p38MAPK.SignificanceUpstream regulation of gene expression might involve two or more activated pathways which interact with one another.