Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced adipose-related protein (TIARP), a cell-surface protein that is highly induced by tumor necrosis factor-α and adipose conversion

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) is involved in the physiological and biological abnormalities found in two opposite metabolic situations: cachexia and obesity. In an attempt to identify novel genes and proteins that could mediate the effects of TNFa alpha on adipocyte metabolism, and development, we have used a differential display technique comparing 3T3-L1 cells exposed or not to the cytokine. We have isolated a novel adipose cDNA encoding a TNF alpha -inducible 470-amino acid protein termed TIARP, with six putative transmembrane regions flanked by a large amino-terminal and a short carboxyl-terminal domain, a structure reminiscent of channel and transporter proteins. Commitment into the differentiation process is required for cytokine responsiveness. The differentiation process per se is accompanied by a sharp emergence of TIARP m-RNA transcripts, in parallel with the expression of the protein at the plasma membrane. Transcripts are present at high levels in white and brown adipose tissues, and are also detectable in liver, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle. Whereas the biological function of TIARP is presently unknown, its pattern of expression during adipose conversion and in response to TNF alpha exposure as a transmembrane protein mainly located at the cell surface suggest that TIARP might participate in adipocyte development and metabolism and mediate some TNF alpha effects on the fat cell as a channel or a transporter.