The influence of dietary fatty acids on regional adipose tissue development and function

The obesity epidemic is linked to an increased prevalence in various metabolic diseases including Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The consumption of different types of fat is also linked to different health outcomes, for example consumption of a diet high in saturated fatty acids is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease whilst consumption of a diet rich in mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids is associated with a reduced disease risk.

Adipose tissue serves as the major storage site for dietary fat in the human body and, consequently, the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue closely reflects the nutritional content of the diet. However, it is not clear whether fatty acid composition of the diet affects the function of adipose tissue. Furthermore, since the different regional depots (i.e. abdominal and gluteal) of adipose tissue in the body exhibit subtle differences in composition and function, the effects of diet on tissue function may not be the same across the depots.

In this project, studies will be undertaken in order to understand and define the impact of dietary fatty acids on the composition, development and function of regional adipose tissue depots, specifically gluteal and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. The studies will include in vitro cultures of adipocytes to investigate a range of aspects of human adipocyte biology including proliferation, adipogenesis, insulin signalling, lipolysis, lipogenesis and inflammation utilising, for example, stable isotope tracers, measurements of gene expression and gene editing. These studies will be complimented by human dietary intervention studies in order to determine how effectively the in vitro results can be translated into humans.