Identifier

etd-06172011-090919

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in all developed nations. Several independent studies have shown that cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) serum levels are modulated in patients with various types of cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, and accelerated arthrosclerosis. CT-1 is a member of the Interleukin-6 family, or gp130 family of cytokines. It is also known to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo, and is a critical component for cardiomyocyte survival. CT-1 is a naturally occurring protein with a molecular mass of approximately 21.5 kD and a 200 amino acid long sequence, it was discovered in a cDNA screen of murine stem cells and was originally identified in cardiomyocytes. Since then, CT-1 expression has been reported in several other tissues including skeletal muscle, liver, ovary, kidney and lung. Interestingly, our studies reveal that CT-1 protein expression is significantly modulated in adipose tissue following high fat feeding in C57BL/6 mice. Of note, we did not observe regulation of CT-1 expression in white adipose tissue in human obesity and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). We can readily detect CT-1 in the media of cultured adipocytes. This study suggests that CT-1 secretion from murine adipose tissue may be an important contributor to the levels of circulating CT-1. In summary, our studies demonstrate that CT-1 is an adipokine that is modulated in murine obesity and T2DM.

Date

2011

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Stephens, Jacqueline M.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.573

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