COMPANION ANIMALS SYMPOSIUM: Nutrigenomics: Using gene expression and molecular biology data to understand pet obesity1
Open Access
- 1 June 2013
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Animal Science
- Vol. 91 (6), 2949-2964
- https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5860
Abstract
Approximately 55% of dogs and 53% of cats in the United States are considered overweight or obese. The domestication of dogs and cats and, more recently, their anthropomorphism, have drastically changed their environment and social behavior. A greater manifestation of chronic diseases is observed with pet obesity (e.g., insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders). The advances in “omics” technology may provide new tools to investigate the complexity of obesity and its comorbidities. The field of nutrigenomics focuses specifically on the mechanisms by which nutrients and dietary bioactive molecules affect gene expression. The main objective of this review is to discuss factors involved in the etiology of pet obesity and demonstrate how the field of nutrigenomics has been used to better understand and characterize this disease. Currently, most of the genomics literature available on companion animal obesity has focused on adipose tissue, with fewer studies focused on other tissues (e.g., skeletal muscle, liver). Initial studies focused on the sequence and functionality of a few specific genes, such as leptin and adiponectin, and identified their association with obesity. Subsequent studies focused on gene expression levels across tissues and how they were impacted by BW status or if animals were intact, spayed, or neutered. Dietary interventions to induce obesity, promote BW loss, or alter dietary nutrient profile have also been investigated. Diets including prebiotics, green tea extract, or increased concentrations of protein have been shown to modify the expression of several genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism in adipose [e.g., uncoupling protein-2, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1, PPARα, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and glucose transporter 4] and skeletal muscle (e.g., PPARα and LPL) tissues. In general, the outcomes derived from these studies demonstrated that dogs and cats share similar adipokines and hormones to other species, and they are affected in a similar fashion during obesity. They also indicate that gene transcription modifications may preclude clinical signs, which may become a useful tool in the management and prevention of obesity. Copyright © 2013. American Society of Animal Science .Keywords
This publication has 89 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of weight loss in obese cats on biochemical analytes related to inflammation and glucose homeostasisDomestic Animal Endocrinology, 2012
- Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Viewpoints on the Current Status and Applications in Nutrition Research and PracticeLifestyle Genomics, 2011
- Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award Lecture 2010: Deconstructing Leptin: From Signals to CircuitsDiabetes, 2010
- Adipokine expression and secretion by canine adipocytes: stimulation of inflammatory adipokine production by LPS and TNFαPflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, 2010
- Initial sequence and comparative analysis of the cat genomeGenome Research, 2007
- Adipocytokines: mediators linking adipose tissue, inflammation and immunityNature Reviews Immunology, 2006
- Adiponectin and adiponectin receptors in insulin resistance, diabetes, and the metabolic syndromeJCI Insight, 2006
- Activity and tissue-specific expression of lipases and tumor-necrosis factor α in lean and obese catsDomestic Animal Endocrinology, 2006
- Canine leptin: cDNA cloning, expression and activity of recombinant proteinResearch in Veterinary Science, 2000
- The effect of intermittent cold treatment on the adipose tissue of the cat: Apparent transformation from white to brown adipose tissueJournal of Ultrastructure and Molecular Structure Research, 1986