Enhanced expression of synoviolin in peripheral blood from obese/overweight donors.

Obesity is currently a major medical and societal issue. Synoviolin (SYVN1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Overexpression of has been found in genetically obese mice (/ and /), and treatment with a inhibitor suppresses weight gain in some mouse models (C57BL/6J and /). However, expression in humans has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, 35 human volunteers were analyzed, and the expression level of mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. Expression of mRNA was significantly increased in PBMCs from volunteers with a BMI ≥25.0, compared with volunteers with a BMI <25.0. In addition, PCR array and RT-qPCR of ER stress-responsive genes revealed that the expression of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), which plays an important role in the transcriptional activation of , was increased in PBMCs from volunteers with a BMI ≥25.0. These results suggest that the - axis might be an important pathway in the progression of obesity.