Impaired glucose homeostasis, neutrophil trafficking and function in mice lacking the glucose-6-phosphate transporter

LY Chen, JJ Shieh, B Lin, CJ Pan, JL Gao… - Human molecular …, 2003 - academic.oup.com
LY Chen, JJ Shieh, B Lin, CJ Pan, JL Gao, PM Murphy, TF Roe, S Moses, JM Ward, EJ Lee…
Human molecular genetics, 2003academic.oup.com
Glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD-Ib) is caused by a deficiency in the glucose-6-
phosphate transporter (G6PT). In addition to disrupted glucose homeostasis, GSD-Ib
patients have unexplained and unexpected defects in neutrophil respiratory burst,
chemotaxis and calcium flux, in response to the bacterial peptide f-Met-Leu-Phe, as well as
intermittent neutropenia. We generated a G6PT knockout (G6PT−/−) mouse that mimics all
known defects of the human disorder and used the model to further our understanding of the …
Abstract
Glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD-Ib) is caused by a deficiency in the glucose-6-phosphate transporter (G6PT). In addition to disrupted glucose homeostasis, GSD-Ib patients have unexplained and unexpected defects in neutrophil respiratory burst, chemotaxis and calcium flux, in response to the bacterial peptide f-Met-Leu-Phe, as well as intermittent neutropenia. We generated a G6PT knockout (G6PT −/− ) mouse that mimics all known defects of the human disorder and used the model to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of GSD-Ib. We demonstrate that the neutropenia is caused directly by the loss of G6PT activity; that chemotaxis and calcium flux, induced by the chemokines KC and macrophage inflammatory protein-2, are defective in G6PT −/− neutrophils; and that local production of these chemokines and the resultant neutrophil trafficking in vivo are depressed in G6PT −/− ascites during an inflammatory response. The bone and spleen of G6PT −/− mice are developmentally delayed and accompanied by marked hypocellularity of the bone marrow, elevation of myeloid progenitor cell frequencies in both organs and a corresponding dramatic increase in granulocyte colony stimulating factor levels in both GSD-Ib mice and humans. So, in addition to transient neutropenia, a sustained defect in neutrophil trafficking due to both the resistance of neutrophils to chemotactic factors, and reduced local production of neutrophil-specific chemokines at sites of inflammation, may underlie the myeloid deficiency in GSD-Ib. These findings demonstrate that G6PT is not just a G6P transport protein but also an important immunomodulatory protein whose activities need to be addressed in treating the myeloid complications in GSD-Ib patients.
Oxford University Press