Abstract
Exercise is recognized as an effective method to prevent obesity and alleviate metabolic
diseases. Browning of white adipose has the advantage of decreasing insulin resistance.
We aim to identify critical differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in white adipose
tissue after exercise. We downloaded the gene dataset GSE68161 of C57BL/6 mice from
the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, we analyzed the effect of exercise
on up-regulated and down-regulated DEGs by GEO2R and performed protein-protein interaction
network analyses. We then identified hub-genes in white adipose tissue and crosstalk
genes of a single pathway by the STRING database and Cytoscape. In this study, 72
DEGs were screened out, and they mainly function in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
activity and in the primary biological process of fatty acid oxidation regulation.
The top 5 hub-genes screened out were SLC27A1, COX7A1, PPARGC1A, FABP3, and UCP1.
The 3 crosstalk genes found were SLC27A1, SLC27A2, and PPARA. These 3 genes might
function as a bridge of the PPAR signaling pathway, adipocytokine signaling pathway
and the insulin resistance pathway. SLC27A1 is critical gene for the interactions
of signaling pathways in subcutaneous white adipose tissue. Therefore, further relationships
between the browning of white adipose and insulin resistance need to be studied.
Key words
exercise - differentially expressed gene - enrichment analysis - network