A new approach to study properties of isolated preadipocytes following in vivo exposure to hypoxia

In the present study we developed a novel approach to study the properties of isolated human preadipocytes from subjects exposed to conditions of hypoxia equivalent to an altitude of 4000 m. By using confocal microscopy we studied the expression of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) in preadipocytes from adult normal-weight males. DPP4 is a transmembrane glycoprotein with enzymatic activity that cleaves Nterminal dipeptides from a diverse range of substrates. The activity of DPP4 is implicated in immune response as well as in glucose homeostasis. To gain insights into the pathophysiological role of DPP4 in insulin resistance we here explored DPP4 expression during prolonged exposure to hypoxia, an experimental model of obesity onset. We used here a rapid method to isolate cells from biopsies and immunolabelled them with antibodies. Then cells were prepared for the analysis with confocal microscopy. The results show that a prolonged exposure to hypoxic environment appears to increases the expression of DPP4 on preadipocytes.