Cited by 896Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic DiseasesAdipose Tissue and MetabolismCardiovascular Disease and Adiposity

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Induces Fibrosis and Insulin Resistance in White Adipose Tissue

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Halberg, Nils, Khan, Tayeba, Trujillo, Maria E., Wernstedt-Asterholm, Ingrid, Attie, Alan D., Sherwani, Shariq, Wang, Zhao V., Landskroner-Eiger, Shira +4 more·2009·Molecular and Cellular Biology

Abstract

Adipose tissue can undergo rapid expansion during times of excess caloric intake. Like a rapidly expanding tumor mass, obese adipose tissue becomes hypoxic due to the inability of the vasculature to keep pace with tissue growth. Consequently, during the early stages of obesity, hypoxic conditions cause an increase in the level of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha) expression. Using a transgenic model of overexpression of a constitutively active form of HIF1alpha, we determined that HIF1alpha fails to induce the expected proangiogenic response. In contrast, we observed that HIF1alpha initiates adipose tissue fibrosis, with an associated increase in local inflammation. "Trichrome- and picrosirius red-positive streaks," enriched in fibrillar collagens, are a hallmark of adipose tissue suffering from the early stages of hypoxia-induced fibrosis. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is a transcriptional target of HIF1alpha and acts by cross-linking collagen I and III to form the fibrillar collagen fibers. Inhibition of LOX activity by beta-aminoproprionitrile treatment results in a significant improvement in several metabolic parameters and further reduces local adipose tissue inflammation. Collectively, our observations are consistent with a model in which adipose tissue hypoxia serves as an early upstream initiator for adipose tissue dysfunction by inducing a local state of fibrosis.

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Crossref · 10.1128/mcb.00192-09

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  • Under conditions of over-nutrition, chronic stress, and/or long periods of physical inactivity, maladaptive adipose tissue expansion causes an increase in hypoxia in these cells, because of their expanded size.

    “Under conditions of over‐nutrition, chronic stress, and/or long periods of physical inactivity, maladaptive adipose tissue expansion causes an increase in hypoxia in these cells, because of their expanded size.[ 24 ]”
  • HIF-1α activation is pro-angiogenic, pro-fibrotic, and proinflammatory.

    “HIF-1α activation is classically described as pro-angiogenic, but recent studies have shown it to also be pro-fibrotic and proinflammatory (4).”
  • In obese ob/ob mice, the hypoxia response fails to induce VEGF expression and vascular density decreases.

    “Interestingly, unlike acute AT expansion, the hypoxia response of obese ob/ob mice fails to induce VEGF expression, and instead a decrease in vascular density is observed (4).”
  • Genetic introduction of dominant-active HIF-1α in mice was unable to induce an angiogenic response but increased expression of several fibrotic genes.

    “Genetic introduction of dominant-active HIF-1α in mice was unable to induce an angiogenic response but instead increased the expression of several fibrotic genes (4).”
  • Merely 24 to 48 hours of exposure to a high-fat diet can cause a prompt increase in adipocyte size.

    “merely 24 to 48 hours of exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) can cause a prompt increase in adipocyte size (4).”

    From Adipose tissue remodeling and obesity (2011) · cites this paper as [4]

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Authors
Halberg, N., Khan, T., Trujillo, M. E., Wernstedt-Asterholm, I., Attie, A. D., Sherwani, S., Wang, Z. V., Landskroner-Eiger, S., Dineen, S., Magalang, U. J., Brekken, R. A., & Scherer, P. E.
Affiliations
  • University of Copenhagen (DK)
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
  • Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) (US)
  • Touchstone Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • The Ohio State University (US)
  • Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology and Division of Surgical Oncology
  • The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Scherer, Philipp E.
Venue
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Published
2009-08
Volume
29
Issue
16
Pages
4467-4483
ISSN
  • 0270-7306 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-5549
OpenAlex
W2145323170
Cited by
896
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 81 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 71 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 53 · 2016: 59 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 55 · 2013: 61 · 2012: 51
FWCI
25.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA112023)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (PL1DK081182, R01DK055758)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
Keywords
hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, adipose tissue fibrosis, insulin resistance, adipose tissue hypoxia, obesity, lysyl oxidase, collagen cross-linking, adipose tissue inflammation, transgenic overexpression, adipose tissue dysfunction
MeSH terms
Animals, Hypoxia, Blood Glucose, Enzyme Inhibitors, Fibrosis, Gene Expression Regulation, Multigene Family, Glucose Tolerance Test, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Lipoxygenase, Mice, Obese, Mice, Transgenic, Molecular Sequence Data, Obesity, Transcription, Genetic, Neovascularization, Physiologic, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Gene Expression Profiling, Mice, Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit, Adipose Tissue, White

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