Thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 increases during differentiation of human adipocytes and its expression is down-regulated in obese subjects

Context: Very limited information is available regarding the function of human thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 (human S14, hS14) in adipogenesis and human adiposity. Objective: To evaluate hS14 levels during differentiation of human pre-adipocytes, in human fat depots and isolated fat cells. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 161 omental (OM) and 87 subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue samples obtained during elective surgical procedures from a population who varied widely in terms of obesity.Measurements: hS14 gene expression and protein levels during adipogenesis were assessed by RT–PCR, western blot, and using an automated confocal imaging approach. Results: hS14 gene expression levels were decreased in OM adipose tissue from overweight (−42.0%) and obese subjects (−56.5%) compared with lean subjects (P