Description
Analysis of the gene signature of steatosis associated to obesity in hepatocytes of Zucker fa/fa obese rats and their controls; identifying target genes linked to steatosis progression. or Obesity and insulin resistance-associated steatosis can be a non-inflammatory condition affecting hepatocytes or progress to steatohepatitis: a condition that can result in end-stage liver disease. Although molecular events leading to accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver have been identified individually, the complexity of the condition suggested that emergent target would be uncovered by a more comprehensive examination. Then, this study was aimed at establishing a gene signature of steatosis in hepatocytes and at identifying target genes linked to steatosis progression. Using Affymetrix oligonucleotide arrays, we compared transcriptomes of hepatocytes isolated from Zucker "fa/fa" obese rats with three different age-related grades of steatosis with those of their counterpart non-steatotic cells.