Complement Factor C3 Methylation and mRNA Expression Is Associated to BMI and Insulin Resistance in Obesity.

Abstract

Epigenetic marks, and especially DNA methylation, are becoming an important factor in obesity, which could help to explain its etiology and associated comorbidities. Adipose tissue, now considered as an important endocrine organ, produces complement system factors. Complement component 3 (C3) turns out to be an important protein in metabolic disorders, via either inflammation or the C3 subproduct acylation stimulating protein (ASP) which directly stimulates lipid storage. In this study, we analyze C3 DNA methylation in adipose tissue from subjects with a different grade of obesity. Adipose tissue samples were collected from subjects with a different degree of obesity determined by their body mass index (BMI) as: Overweight subjects (BMI ≥ 25 and