Six Tissue Transcriptomics Reveals Specific Immune Suppression in Spleen by Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

PLoS One. 2016 May 11;11(5):e0155099. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155099. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are suggested to modulate immune function, but the effects of dietary fatty acids composition on gene expression patterns in immune organs have not been fully characterized. In the current study we investigated how dietary fatty acids composition affects the total transcriptome profile, and especially, immune related genes in two immune organs, spleen (SPL) and bone marrow cells (BMC). Four tissues with metabolic function, skeletal muscle (SKM), white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), and liver (LIV), were investigated as a comparison. Following 8 weeks on low fat diet (LFD), high fat diet (HFD) rich in saturated fatty acids (HFD-S), or HFD rich in PUFA (HFD-P), tissue transcriptomics were analyzed by microarray and metabolic health assessed by fasting blood glucose level, HOMA-IR index, oral glucose tolerance test as well as quantification of crown-like structures in WAT. HFD-P corrected the metabolic phenotype induced by HFD-S. Interestingly, SKM and BMC were relatively inert to the diets, whereas the two adipose tissues (WAT and BAT) were mainly affected by HFD per se (both HFD-S and HFD-P). In particular, WAT gene expression was driven closer to that of the immune organs SPL and BMC by HFDs. The LIV exhibited different responses to both of the HFDs. Surprisingly, the spleen showed a major response to HFD-P (82 genes differed from LFD, mostly immune genes), while it was not affected at all by HFD-S (0 genes differed from LFD). In conclusion, the quantity and composition of dietary fatty acids affected the transcriptome in distinct manners in different organs. Remarkably, dietary PUFA, but not saturated fat, prompted a specific regulation of immune related genes in the spleen, opening the possibility that PUFA can regulate immune function by influencing gene expression in this organ.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue, White / drug effects
  • Adipose Tissue, White / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Diet, High-Fat*
  • Energy Metabolism / drug effects
  • Fasting / blood
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / pharmacology*
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Gene Ontology
  • Immune System / drug effects
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Macrophages / drug effects
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Organ Size / drug effects
  • Organ Specificity / drug effects*
  • Organ Specificity / genetics*
  • Phenotype
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Spleen / drug effects
  • Spleen / immunology*
  • Spleen / metabolism
  • Staining and Labeling
  • Transcriptome / genetics

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Blood Glucose
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • NF-kappa B

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council (K2013-54X-09894-19-3, 2012-1601 and 2010-2667), the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular Metabolic Research (CMR, no. A305: 188), which is supported by the Swedish Strategic Foundation, EC FP7 funding (Full4Health FP7-KBBE-2010 – 4-266408), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Magnus Bergvall Foundation, Längmanska Kulturfonden, Stiftelsen Gamla trotjänarinnor, OE och Edla Johanssons vetenskapliga Stiftelse, the Lars Hiertas Foundation, the Åke Wiberg Foundation, NovoNordisk Excellence Project Award, Diabetesfonden, Diabetes Wellness Research Foundation and Stiftelsen Tornspiran. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.