Differential Effects of Long-Chain Fatty Acids and Clofibrate on Gene Expression Profiles in Cardiomyocytes

Background: The link between dietary fat and coronary heart disease has attracted much attention since the effect of long-chain fatty acids on gene transcription has been established. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of long-chain fatty acids and clofibrate on Mrna levels of specific lipid metabolism-related genes and to determine their effects on global transcriptome levels in a cardiovascular cell-line. Methods: After culturing P19CL6 cells with long-chain fatty acids or clofibrate, the expression levels of heart-type fatty-acid binding protein and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors (PPARα,β,γ) were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, global transcriptome profiles were compared using microarray analysis. Results: Long-chain fatty acids significantly increased the abundance of PPARα and PPARγ. Moreover, microarray analysis showed that the effects of linoleic and α-linolenic acids, and clofibrate were similar but differed from those of palmitic and oleic acids. Conclusion: These findings show that cellular responses to polyunsaturated fatty acids differ from those observed with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.