Emeli Chatterjee, PhD, of nan Cardiovascular Research Center astatine Massachusetts General Hospital, is nan lead writer and Saumya Das, MD, PhD, of nan Division of Cardiology astatine Massachusetts General Hospital, is nan elder writer of a insubstantial published successful Cell Genomics, “The extracellular vesicle transcriptome provides tissue-specific functional genomic note applicable to illness susceptibility successful obesity.”
Q: How would you summarize your study for a laic audience?
Our study examines really RNA successful extracellular vesicles (EVs) tin supply insights into metabolic phenotypes related to obesity. By utilizing functional genomics approaches, we recovered a precocious practice of genes and regulatory elements antecedently associated pinch obesity and type 2 glucosuria represented by nan RNA cargo wrong these EVs. Notably, these EV transcripts correspond regulatory elements and transcriptionally progressive genes successful adipose insubstantial and are associated pinch metabolic phenotypes, including assemblage wide scale and type 2 diabetes.
We supply a roadmap to merge EV transcript profiling pinch familial approaches that could yet pass nan improvement of caller diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, improving our expertise to predict, forestall and dainty obesity-related diseases.
Q: What mobility were you investigating?
We aimed to understand nan circulating EV scenery and really it differed betwixt obese and thin individuals. Our attraction was connected really nan EV RNA cargo varies betwixt obese and thin individuals and really integrating pinch ample population-based familial and transcriptomic databases tin connection insights into obesity biology.
Q: What methods aliases attack did you use?
We optimized methods to civilization adipose tissues explants from bariatric room for EV harvesting and isolation of circulating EVs and transcriptomic information generation. Computational innovations were made successful collaboration pinch Dr. Ravi Shah and Dr. Eric Gamazon, some of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to merge EV transcriptomics pinch organization 'omics', specified arsenic a genome-wide relation study (GWAS), a transcriptome-wide relation study (TWAS) and a phenome-wide relation study (PheWAS).
Q: What did you find?
Our findings show that differences successful EV-RNA successful obesity are driven chiefly by EVs released from adipose tissues, and that nan RNAs wrong these EVs originate from different cell-types wrong adipose tissue. By utilizing functional genomics approaches, we place 282 transcripts (corresponding to 277 unsocial cistron symbols) differentially expressed wrong circulating EVs betwixt thin and obese individuals.
Q: What are nan implications?
Our study outlines a method to merge EV transcriptomics pinch ample standard familial studies. It besides demonstrates that EV-RNAs, which are differentially expressed successful obesity, are linked pinch genes associated pinch metabolic phenotypes, specified arsenic obesity and type 2 diabetes. These EV-RNAs correspond regulatory elements and transcriptionally progressive genes successful adipose tissue, and are associated pinch metabolic phenotypes.
Q: What are nan adjacent steps?
We are presently investigating really these EV transcripts alteration pinch weight nonaccomplishment (either induced by room aliases drugs, for illustration GLP-1 agonists). We are besides studying really adipose EVs awesome to different cells, specified arsenic cardiac cells, liver cells and encephalon cells, to mediate obesity-related comorbidities. Our functional genomics study has yielded targets that whitethorn beryllium utilized to dainty immoderate of these conditions.
Source:
Journal reference:
Chatterjee, E., et al. (2025). The extracellular vesicle transcriptome provides tissue-specific functional genomic note applicable to illness susceptibility successful obesity. Cell Genomics. doi.org/10.1016/j.xgen.2025.100925.