Pro 12Ala Sequence Variant of the PPARG Gene is Associated with Postprandial Hypertriglyceridemia in Non-E3/E3 Patients with the Metabolic Syndrome (Lipids, Lipoproteins, And Cardiovascular Risk Factors‪)‬

The metabolic syndrome is a complex disease marked by abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia associated with the metabolic syndrome is characterized by increased plasma concentrations of triglycerides, small, dense LDL particles, and decreased concentrations of HDL cholesterol (1). Postprandial hyperlipidemia is also associated with the metabolic syndrome (2). Many studies have focused on genes associated with the metabolic syndrome. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, gamma (PPARG) [4] is a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily and is a critical transcriptional regulator of adipogenesis. In vivo ligands for PPARG are thought to include a variety of fatty acids, and it has been proposed that PPARG may be a mediator of physiological responses to lipids (3). Interestingly, human studies have shown that thiazolidinediones decrease insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia through their interaction with the PPAR receptor (4). The induction of lipoprotein lipase by PPARG promotes fatty acid delivery, whereas induction of fatty acid transport proteins and acyl-CoA synthetase leads to enhanced fatty acid uptake. These actions contribute to increased triglyceride storage in adipose tissue (5).