Heart Genes Found Hiding in Body Fat Offer Clues to Metabolic Health

We often view body fat simply as energy storage, yet it functions as a dynamic endocrine organ. A new study has revealed that human adipose tissue expresses specific genes—DES, DSP, GJA1, and SMOC2—that are traditionally associated with cardiac function.

The research team compared gene behaviour in two distinct depots: subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), found beneath the skin, and omental visceral adipose tissue (OVAT), located deep within the abdomen. They discovered these 'heart genes' were significantly upregulated in visceral fat. Crucially, higher expression levels in subcutaneous fat were negatively correlated with cardiometabolic risks; in other words, greater gene activity in SAT was linked to better liver function, lower blood pressure, and improved insulin sensitivity.

To understand the mechanism, the researchers analysed the 'epigenetic landscape'—chemical modifications to histone proteins that package DNA. They found that visceral fat possessed specific active histone marks that effectively switched these genes on more aggressively than in subcutaneous fat. These findings suggest these genes could serve as novel biomarkers for assessing cardiometabolic health.