Metabolism
Abstract
Obesity is associated with a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation characterized by abnormal cytokine production and macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue, which may contribute to the development of insulin resistance. During immune responses, tissue infiltration by macrophages is dependent on the expression of osteopontin, an extracellular matrix protein and proinflammatory cytokine that promotes monocyte chemotaxis and cell motility. In the present study, we used a murine model of diet-induced obesity to examine the role of osteopontin in the accumulation of adipose tissue macrophages and the development of insulin resistance during obesity. Mice exposed to a high-fat diet exhibited increased plasma osteopontin levels, with elevated expression in macrophages recruited into adipose tissue. Obese mice lacking osteopontin displayed improved insulin sensitivity in the absence of an effect on diet-induced obesity, body composition, or energy expenditure. These mice further demonstrated decreased macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue, which may reflect both impaired macrophage motility and attenuated monocyte recruitment by stromal vascular cells. Finally, obese osteopontin-deficient mice exhibited decreased markers of inflammation, both in adipose tissue and systemically. Taken together, these results suggest that osteopontin may play a key role in linking obesity to the development of insulin resistance by promoting inflammation and the accumulation of macrophages in adipose tissue.
Authors
Takashi Nomiyama, Diego Perez-Tilve, Daisuke Ogawa, Florence Gizard, Yue Zhao, Elizabeth B. Heywood, Karrie L. Jones, Ryuzo Kawamori, Lisa A. Cassis, Matthias H. Tschöp, Dennis Bruemmer
Abstract
Diabetes results from an inadequate mass of functional β cells, due to either β cell loss caused by immune assault or the lack of compensation to overcome insulin resistance. Elucidating the mechanisms that regulate β cell mass has important ramifications for fostering β cell regeneration and the treatment of diabetes. We report here that Skp2, a substrate recognition component of Skp1–Cul1–F-box (SCF) ubiquitin ligase, played an essential and specific role in regulating the cellular abundance of p27 and was a critical determinant of β cell proliferation. In Skp2–/– mice, accumulation of p27 resulted in enlarged polyploid β cells as a result of endoreduplication replacing proliferation. Despite β cell hypertrophy, Skp2–/– mice exhibited diminished β cell mass, hypoinsulinemia, and glucose intolerance. Increased insulin resistance resulting from diet-induced obesity caused Skp2–/– mice to become overtly diabetic, because β cell growth in the absence of cell division was insufficient to compensate for increased metabolic demand. These results indicate that the Skp2-mediated degradation pathway regulating the cellular degradation of p27 is essential for establishing β cell mass and to respond to increased metabolic demand associated with insulin resistance.
Authors
Lingwen Zhong, Senta Georgia, Shuen-ing Tschen, Keiko Nakayama, Keiichi Nakayama, Anil Bhushan
Abstract
Disruptions of the melanocortin signaling system have been linked to obesity. We investigated a possible role of the central nervous melanocortin system (CNS-Mcr) in the control of adiposity through effects on nutrient partitioning and cellular lipid metabolism independent of nutrient intake. We report that pharmacological inhibition of melanocortin receptors (Mcr) in rats and genetic disruption of Mc4r in mice directly and potently promoted lipid uptake, triglyceride synthesis, and fat accumulation in white adipose tissue (WAT), while increased CNS-Mcr signaling triggered lipid mobilization. These effects were independent of food intake and preceded changes in adiposity. In addition, decreased CNS-Mcr signaling promoted increased insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in WAT while decreasing glucose utilization in muscle and brown adipose tissue. Such CNS control of peripheral nutrient partitioning depended on sympathetic nervous system function and was enhanced by synergistic effects on liver triglyceride synthesis. Our findings offer an explanation for enhanced adiposity resulting from decreased melanocortin signaling, even in the absence of hyperphagia, and are consistent with feeding-independent changes in substrate utilization as reflected by respiratory quotient, which is increased with chronic Mcr blockade in rodents and in humans with loss-of-function mutations in MC4R. We also reveal molecular underpinnings for direct control of the CNS-Mcr over lipid metabolism. These results suggest ways to design more efficient pharmacological methods for controlling adiposity.
Authors
Ruben Nogueiras, Petra Wiedmer, Diego Perez-Tilve, Christelle Veyrat-Durebex, Julia M. Keogh, Gregory M. Sutton, Paul T. Pfluger, Tamara R. Castaneda, Susanne Neschen, Susanna M. Hofmann, Philip N. Howles, Donald A. Morgan, Stephen C. Benoit, Ildiko Szanto, Brigitte Schrott, Annette Schürmann, Hans-Georg Joost, Craig Hammond, David Y. Hui, Stephen C. Woods, Kamal Rahmouni, Andrew A. Butler, I. Sadaf Farooqi, Stephen O’Rahilly, Françoise Rohner-Jeanrenaud, Matthias H. Tschöp
Abstract
Excess caloric intake can lead to insulin resistance. The underlying reasons are
complex but likely related to ectopic lipid deposition in nonadipose tissue. We
hypothesized that the inability to appropriately expand subcutaneous adipose tissue
may be an underlying reason for insulin resistance and β cell failure.
Mice lacking leptin while overexpressing adiponectin showed normalized glucose and
insulin levels and dramatically improved glucose as well as positively affected
serum triglyceride levels. Therefore, modestly increasing the levels of circulating
full-length adiponectin completely rescued the diabetic phenotype in
Authors
Ja-Young Kim, Esther van de Wall, Mathieu Laplante, Anthony Azzara, Maria E. Trujillo, Susanna M. Hofmann, Todd Schraw, Jorge L. Durand, Hua Li, Guangyu Li, Linda A. Jelicks, Mark F. Mehler, David Y. Hui, Yves Deshaies, Gerald I. Shulman, Gary J. Schwartz, Philipp E. Scherer
Abstract
Central nervous system control of energy balance affects susceptibility to obesity and diabetes, but how fatty acids, malonyl-CoA, and other metabolites act at this site to alter metabolism is poorly understood. Pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid synthase (FAS), rate limiting for de novo lipogenesis, decreases appetite independently of leptin but also promotes weight loss through activities unrelated to FAS inhibition. Here we report that the conditional genetic inactivation of FAS in pancreatic β cells and hypothalamus produced lean, hypophagic mice with increased physical activity and impaired hypothalamic PPARα signaling. Administration of a PPARα agonist into the hypothalamus increased PPARα target genes and normalized food intake. Inactivation of β cell FAS enzyme activity had no effect on islet function in culture or in vivo. These results suggest a critical role for brain FAS in the regulation of not only feeding, but also physical activity, effects that appear to be mediated through the provision of ligands generated by FAS to PPARα. Thus, 2 diametrically opposed proteins, FAS (induced by feeding) and PPARα (induced by starvation), unexpectedly form an integrative sensory module in the central nervous system to orchestrate energy balance.
Authors
Manu V. Chakravarthy, Yimin Zhu, Miguel López, Li Yin, David F. Wozniak, Trey Coleman, Zhiyuan Hu, Michael Wolfgang, Antonio Vidal-Puig, M. Daniel Lane, Clay F. Semenkovich
Abstract
Obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are major global health problems. Insulin resistance is frequently present in these disorders, but the causes and effects of such resistance are unknown. Here, we generated mice with muscle-specific knockout of the major murine atypical PKC (aPKC), PKC-λ, a postulated mediator for insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Glucose transport and translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane were diminished in muscles of both homozygous and heterozygous PKC-λ knockout mice and were accompanied by systemic insulin resistance; impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes; islet β cell hyperplasia; abdominal adiposity; hepatosteatosis; elevated serum triglycerides, FFAs, and LDL-cholesterol; and diminished HDL-cholesterol. In contrast to the defective activation of muscle aPKC, insulin signaling and actions were intact in muscle, liver, and adipocytes. These findings demonstrate the importance of aPKC in insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscles of intact mice and show that insulin resistance and resultant hyperinsulinemia owing to a specific defect in muscle aPKC is sufficient to induce abdominal obesity and other lipid abnormalities of the metabolic syndrome and T2DM. These findings are particularly relevant because humans who have obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and T2DM reportedly have defective activation and/or diminished levels of muscle aPKC.
Authors
Robert V. Farese, Mini P. Sajan, Hong Yang, Pengfei Li, Steven Mastorides, William R. Gower Jr., Sonali Nimal, Cheol Soo Choi, Sheene Kim, Gerald I. Shulman, C. Ronald Kahn, Ursula Braun, Michael Leitges
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) is one of the most important detoxification enzymes due to its broad substrate specificity and wide distribution throughout the body. On the other hand, CYP1A1 can also produce highly carcinogenic intermediate metabolites through oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We describe what we believe to be a novel regulatory system for whole-body CYP1A1 expression by a factor originating in the gut. A mutant mouse was generated in which the arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) gene is disrupted predominantly in the gut epithelium. Surprisingly, CYP1A1 mRNA expression and enzymatic activities were markedly elevated in almost all non-gut tissues in this mouse line. The induction was even observed in early-stage embryos in pregnant mutant females. Interestingly, the upregulation was CYP1A1 selective and lost upon administration of a synthetic purified diet. Moreover, the increase was recovered by addition of the natural phytochemical indole-3-carbinol to the purified diet. These results suggest that an Arnt-dependent pathway in gut has an important role in regulation of the metabolism of dietary CYP1A1 inducers and whole-body CYP1A1 expression. This machinery might be involved in naturally occurring carcinogenic processes and/or other numerous biological responses mediated by CYP1A1 activity.
Authors
Shinji Ito, Chi Chen, Junko Satoh, SunHee Yim, Frank J. Gonzalez
Abstract
PPARγ is required for fat cell development and is the molecular target of antidiabetic thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which exert insulin-sensitizing effects in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. Unexpectedly, we found that inactivation of PPARγ in macrophages results in the development of significant glucose intolerance plus skeletal muscle and hepatic insulin resistance in lean mice fed a normal diet. This phenotype was associated with increased expression of inflammatory markers and impaired insulin signaling in adipose tissue, muscle, and liver. PPARγ-deficient macrophages secreted elevated levels of factors that impair insulin responsiveness in muscle cells in a manner that was enhanced by exposure to FFAs. Consistent with this, the relative degree of insulin resistance became more severe in mice lacking macrophage PPARγ following high-fat feeding, and these mice were only partially responsive to TZD treatment. These findings reveal an essential role of PPARγ in macrophages for the maintenance of whole-body insulin action and in mediating the antidiabetic actions of TZDs.
Authors
Andrea L. Hevener, Jerrold M. Olefsky, Donna Reichart, M.T. Audrey Nguyen, Gautam Bandyopadyhay, Ho-Yin Leung, Matthew J. Watt, Chris Benner, Mark A. Febbraio, Anh-Khoi Nguyen, Brian Folian, Shankar Subramaniam, Frank J. Gonzalez, Christopher K. Glass, Mercedes Ricote
Abstract
The adipose-derived hormone, leptin, acts via its receptor (LRb) to convey the status of body energy stores to the brain, decreasing feeding and potentiating neuroendocrine energy expenditure. The failure of high levels of leptin in most obese individuals to promote weight loss defines a state of diminished responsiveness to increased leptin, termed leptin resistance. Leptin stimulates the phosphorylation of several tyrosine residues on LRb to mediate leptin action. We homologously replaced LRb in mice with a receptor with a mutation in one of these sites (Tyr985) in order to examine its role in leptin action and signal attenuation in vivo. Mice homozygous for this mutation are neuroendocrinologically normal, but females demonstrate decreased feeding, decreased expression of orexigenic neuropeptides, protection from high-fat diet–induced obesity, and increased leptin sensitivity in a sex-biased manner. Thus, leptin activates autoinhibitory signals via LRb Tyr985 to attenuate the anti-adiposity effects of leptin, especially in females, potentially contributing to leptin insensitivity in obesity.
Authors
Marie Björnholm, Heike Münzberg, Rebecca L. Leshan, Eneida C. Villanueva, Sarah H. Bates, Gwendolyn W. Louis, Justin C. Jones, Ryoko Ishida-Takahashi, Christian Bjørbaek, Martin G. Myers Jr.
Abstract
We rescued the embryonic lethality of global PPARγ knockout by breeding Mox2-Cre (MORE) mice with floxed PPARγ mice to inactivate PPARγ in the embryo but not in trophoblasts and created a generalized PPARγ knockout mouse model, MORE-PPARγ knockout (MORE-PGKO) mice. PPARγ inactivation caused severe lipodystrophy and insulin resistance; surprisingly, it also caused hypotension. Paradoxically, PPARγ agonists had the same effect. We showed that another mouse model of lipodystrophy was hypertensive, ruling out the lipodystrophy as a cause. Further, high salt loading did not correct the hypotension in MORE-PGKO mice. In vitro studies showed that the vasculature from MORE-PGKO mice was more sensitive to endothelial-dependent relaxation caused by muscarinic stimulation, but was not associated with changes in eNOS expression or phosphorylation. In addition, vascular smooth muscle had impaired contraction in response to α-adrenergic agents. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system was mildly activated, consistent with increased vascular capacitance or decreased volume. These effects are likely mechanisms contributing to the hypotension. Our results demonstrated that PPARγ is required to maintain normal adiposity and insulin sensitivity in adult mice. Surprisingly, genetic loss of PPARγ function, like activation by agonists, lowered blood pressure, likely through a mechanism involving increased vascular relaxation.
Authors
Sheng Zhong Duan, Christine Y. Ivashchenko, Steven E. Whitesall, Louis G. D’Alecy, Damon C. Duquaine, Frank C. Brosius III, Frank J. Gonzalez, Charles Vinson, Melissa A. Pierre, David S. Milstone, Richard M. Mortensen
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)