Yew Tan, ChongVirtue, SamuelMurfitt, StevenRobert, Lee DPhua, Yi HuiDale, MartinGriffin, Julian LTinahones, FranciscoScherer, Philipp EVidal-Puig, Antonio2016-07-132016-07-132015-12Yew Tan C, Virtue S, Murfitt S, Robert LD, Phua YH, Dale M, et al. Adipose tissue fatty acid chain length and mono-unsaturation increases with obesity and insulin resistance. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:18366http://hdl.handle.net/10668/2271Journal Article;The non-essential fatty acids, C18:1n9, C16:0, C16:1n7, C18:0 and C18:1n7 account for over 75% of fatty acids in white adipose (WAT) triacylglycerol (TAG). The relative composition of these fatty acids (FA) is influenced by the desaturases, SCD1-4 and the elongase, ELOVL6. In knock-out models, loss of SCD1 or ELOVL6 results in reduced Δ9 desaturated and reduced 18-carbon non-essential FA respectively. Both Elovl6 KO and SCD1 KO mice exhibit improved insulin sensitivity. Here we describe the relationship between WAT TAG composition in obese mouse models and obese humans stratified for insulin resistance. In mouse models with increasing obesity and insulin resistance, there was an increase in scWAT Δ9 desaturated FAs (SCD ratio) and FAs with 18-carbons (Elovl6 ratio) in mice. Data from mouse models discordant for obesity and insulin resistance (AKT2 KO, Adiponectin aP2-transgenic), suggested that scWAT TAG Elovl6 ratio was associated with insulin sensitivity, whereas SCD1 ratio was associated with fat mass. In humans, a greater SCD1 and Elovl6 ratio was found in metabolically more harmful visceral adipose tissue when compared to subcutaneous adipose tissue.enAdiponectinaTejido adiposoAdiposidadÁcidos grasos, esencialesÁcidos grasos monoinsaturadosHumanosGatoGrasa intra-abdominalObesidadGrasa subcutáneaMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists::Hormones::Peptide Hormones::Adipokines::AdiponectinMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Tissues::Connective Tissue::Adipose TissueMedical Subject Headings::Phenomena and Processes::Chemical Phenomena::Biochemical Phenomena::Body Composition::Body Fat Distribution::AdiposityMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Inorganic Chemicals::Elements::CarbonMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Lipids::Fatty Acids::Fatty Acids, Unsaturated::Fatty Acids, EssentialMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Lipids::Fatty Acids::Fatty Acids, Unsaturated::Fatty Acids, MonounsaturatedMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::HumansMedical Subject Headings::Phenomena and Processes::Physiological Phenomena::Pharmacological Phenomena::Drug Resistance::Insulin ResistanceMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::AnimalsMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Rodentia::Muridae::Murinae::MiceMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Tissues::Connective Tissue::Adipose Tissue::Adipose Tissue, White::Abdominal Fat::Intra-Abdominal FatMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases::Nutrition Disorders::Overnutrition::ObesityMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Lipids::Glycerides::Triglyceridesresearch article26679101open access10.1038/srep183662045-2322PMC4683622