Journal
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Volume 400, Issue 9, Pages 1157-1162Publisher
WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH
DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0170
Keywords
body mass index; body weight; cellular stress; intermediate filaments; nanofilaments; stress proteins
Categories
Funding
- Swedish Medical Research Council [2017-02255]
- ALF Gothenburg [146051]
- AFA Research Foundation
- Soderbergs Foundations
- Sten A. Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture
- Amlov's Foundation
- E. Jacobson's Donation Fund
- VINNOVA
- Swedish Stroke Foundation
- NanoNet COST Action [BM1002]
- EU FP 7 Program EduGlia [237956]
- EU FP 7 Program TargetBraIn [279017]
- Hjarnfonden
- EuroCellNet COST Action
- Hagstromer's Foundation Millennium
- Swedish Research Council [2017-02255] Funding Source: Swedish Research Council
- Vinnova [2017-02255] Funding Source: Vinnova
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Intermediate filaments (nanofilaments) have many functions, especially in response to cellular stress. Mice lacking vimentin (Vim(-/-)) display phenotypes reflecting reduced levels of cell activation and ability to counteract stress, for example, decreased reactivity of astrocytes after neurotrauma, decreased migration of astrocytes and fibroblasts, attenuated inflammation and fibrosis in lung injury, delayed wound healing, impaired vascular adaptation to nephrectomy, impaired transendothelial migration of lymphocytes and attenuated atherosclerosis. To address the role of vimentin in fat accumulation, we assessed the body weight and fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in Vim(-/-) and matched wildtype (WT) mice. While the weight of 1.5-month-old Vim(-/-) and WT mice was comparable, Vim(-/-) mice showed decreased body weight at 3.5, 5.5 and 8.5 months (males by 19-22%, females by 18-29%). At 8.5 months, Vim(-/-) males and females had less body fat compared to WT mice (a decrease by 24%, p < 0.05, and 33%, p < 0.0001, respectively). The body mass index in 8.5 months old Vim(-/-) mice was lower in males (6.8 vs. 7.8, p < 0.005) and females (6.0 vs. 7.7, p < 0.0001) despite the slightly lower body length of Vim(-/-) mice. Increased mortality was observed in adult Vim(-/-) males. We conclude that vimentin is required for the normal accumulation of body fat.
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