IFNγ-IL12 axis regulates intercellular crosstalk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Obesity is a major cause of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and is characterized by inflammation and insulin resistance. Interferon-γ (IFNγ) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine elevated in obesity and modulating macrophage functions. Here, we show that male mice with loss of IFNγ signaling in myeloid cells (Lyz-IFNγR2) are protected from diet-induced insulin resistance despite fatty liver.

Beta-cell specific Insr deletion promotes insulin hypersecretion and improves glucose tolerance prior to global insulin resistance.

Insulin receptor (Insr) protein is present at higher levels in pancreatic β-cells than in most other tissues, but the consequences of β-cell insulin resistance remain enigmatic. Here, we use an Ins1 knock-in allele to delete Insr specifically in β-cells of both female and male mice. We compare experimental mice to Ins1-containing littermate controls at multiple ages and on multiple diets.

Muscle-generated BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) maintains mitochondrial quality control in female mice.

Mitochondrial remodeling is dysregulated in metabolic diseases but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. We report here that BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) provokes mitochondrial fission and clearance in skeletal muscle via the PRKAA/AMPK-PINK1-PRKN/Parkin and PRKAA-DNM1L/DRP1-MFF pathways. Depleting expression in myotubes reduced fatty acid-induced mitofission and mitophagy, which was associated with mitochondrial elongation and impaired lipid handling.

Disrupted glucose homeostasis and skeletal-muscle-specific glucose uptake in an exocyst knockout mouse model.

Skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of glucose disposal following meals, and this is achieved by insulin-mediated trafficking of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) to the cell membrane. The eight-protein exocyst trafficking complex facilitates targeted docking of membrane-bound vesicles, a process underlying the regulated delivery of fuel transporters. We previously demonstrated the role of exocyst subunit EXOC5 in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 exocytosis and glucose uptake in cultured rat skeletal myoblasts.

Thioredoxin Interacting Protein Is Required for a Chronic Energy-Rich Diet to Promote Intestinal Fructose Absorption.

Increased consumption of fats and added sugars has been associated with an increase in metabolic syndromes. Here we show that mice chronically fed an energy-rich diet (ERD) with high fat and moderate sucrose have enhanced the absorption of a gastrointestinal fructose load, and this required expression of the arrestin domain protein Txnip in the intestinal epithelial cells. ERD feeding induced gene and protein expression of Glut5, and this required the expression of Txnip.

Muscle-Specific Insulin Receptor Overexpression Protects Mice From Diet-Induced Glucose Intolerance but Leads to Postreceptor Insulin Resistance.

Skeletal muscle insulin resistance is a prominent early feature in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. In attempt to overcome this defect, we generated mice overexpressing insulin receptors (IR) specifically in skeletal muscle (IRMOE). On normal chow, IRMOE mice have body weight similar to that of controls but an increase in lean mass and glycolytic muscle fibers and reduced fat mass.

Hepatic NADH reductive stress underlies common variation in metabolic traits.

The cellular NADH/NAD ratio is fundamental to biochemistry, but the extent to which it reflects versus drives metabolic physiology in vivo is poorly understood. Here we report the in vivo application of Lactobacillus brevis (Lb)NOX, a bacterial water-forming NADH oxidase, to assess the metabolic consequences of directly lowering the hepatic cytosolic NADH/NAD ratio in mice. By combining this genetic tool with metabolomics, we identify circulating α-hydroxybutyrate levels as a robust marker of an elevated hepatic cytosolic NADH/NAD ratio, also known as reductive stress.

Exogenous GDF11, but not GDF8, reduces body weight and improves glucose homeostasis in mice.

Insulin resistance is associated with aging in mice and humans. We have previously shown that administration of recombinant GDF11 (rGDF11) to aged mice alters aging phenotypes in the brain, skeletal muscle, and heart. While the closely related protein GDF8 has a role in metabolism, limited data are available on the potential metabolic effects of GDF11 or GDF8 in aging.

Arrestin domain-containing 3 (Arrdc3) modulates insulin action and glucose metabolism in liver.

Insulin action in the liver is critical for glucose homeostasis through regulation of glycogen synthesis and glucose output. Arrestin domain-containing 3 () is a member of the α-arrestin family previously linked to human obesity. Here, we show that is differentially regulated by insulin in vivo in mice undergoing euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps, being highly up-regulated in liver and down-regulated in muscle and fat.

Mss51 deletion enhances muscle metabolism and glucose homeostasis in mice.

Myostatin is a negative regulator of muscle growth and metabolism and its inhibition in mice improves insulin sensitivity, increases glucose uptake into skeletal muscle, and decreases total body fat. A recently described mammalian protein called MSS51 is significantly downregulated with myostatin inhibition. In vitro disruption of Mss51 results in increased levels of ATP, β-oxidation, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Muscle-generated BDNF is a sexually dimorphic myokine that controls metabolic flexibility.

The ability of skeletal muscle to switch between lipid and glucose oxidation for ATP production during metabolic stress is pivotal for maintaining systemic energy homeostasis, and dysregulation of this metabolic flexibility is a dominant cause of several metabolic disorders. However, the molecular mechanism that governs fuel selection in muscle is not well understood. Here, we report that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a fasting-induced myokine that controls metabolic reprograming through the AMPK/CREB/PGC-1α pathway in female mice.

A Receptor of the Immunoglobulin Superfamily Regulates Adaptive Thermogenesis.

Exquisite regulation of energy homeostasis protects from nutrient deprivation but causes metabolic dysfunction upon nutrient excess. In human and murine adipose tissue, the accumulation of ligands of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) accompanies obesity, implicating this receptor in energy metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that mice bearing global- or adipocyte-specific deletion of Ager, the gene encoding RAGE, display superior metabolic recovery after fasting, a cold challenge, or high-fat feeding.

GABA-stimulated adipose-derived stem cells suppress subcutaneous adipose inflammation in obesity.

Accumulating evidence suggests that subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues are differentially associated with metabolic disorders. In obesity, subcutaneous adipose tissue is beneficial for metabolic homeostasis because of repressed inflammation. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Hyperinsulinemia drives hepatic insulin resistance in male mice with liver-specific Ceacam1 deletion independently of lipolysis.

Background: CEACAM1 regulates insulin sensitivity by promoting insulin clearance. Accordingly, global C57BL/6J.Cc1 null mice display hyperinsulinemia due to impaired insulin clearance at 2 months of age, followed by insulin resistance, steatohepatitis, visceral obesity and leptin resistance at 6 months.

Myeloid-specific deletion of Zfp36 protects against insulin resistance and fatty liver in diet-induced obese mice.

Obesity is associated with adipose tissue inflammation that contributes to insulin resistance. Zinc finger protein 36 (Zfp36) is an mRNA-binding protein that reduces inflammation by binding to cytokine transcripts and promoting their degradation. We hypothesized that myeloid-specific deficiency of Zfp36 would lead to increased adipose tissue inflammation and reduced insulin sensitivity in diet-induced obese mice.

Nocturnal activation of melatonin receptor type 1 signaling modulates diurnal insulin sensitivity via regulation of PI3K activity.

Recent genetic studies have highlighted the potential involvement of melatonin receptor 1 (MT ) and melatonin receptor 2 (MT ) in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Here, we report that mice lacking MT (MT KO) tend to accumulate more fat mass than WT mice and exhibit marked systemic insulin resistance. Additional experiments revealed that the main insulin signaling pathway affected by the loss of MT was the activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K).

Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone GRP78 regulates macrophage function and insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity.

Obesity-mediated inflammation is a major cause of insulin resistance, and macrophages play an important role in this process. The 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) is a major endoplasmic reticulum chaperone that modulates unfolded protein response (UPR), and mice with GRP78 heterozygosity were resistant to diet-induced obesity. Here, we show that mice with macrophage-selective ablation of GRP78 (Lyz- GRP78) are protected from skeletal muscle insulin resistance without changes in obesity compared with wild-type mice after 9 wk of high-fat diet.

Sclerostin influences body composition by regulating catabolic and anabolic metabolism in adipocytes.

Sclerostin has traditionally been thought of as a local inhibitor of bone acquisition that antagonizes the profound osteoanabolic capacity of activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling, but serum sclerostin levels in humans exhibit a correlation with impairments in several metabolic parameters. These data, together with the increased production of sclerostin in mouse models of type 2 diabetes, suggest an endocrine function. To determine whether sclerostin contributes to the coordination of whole-body metabolism, we examined body composition, glucose homeostasis, and fatty acid metabolism in Sost mice as well as mice that overproduce sclerostin as a result of adeno-associated virus expression from the liver.

Liver-specific reconstitution of CEACAM1 reverses the metabolic abnormalities caused by its global deletion in male mice.

Aims/hypothesis: The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) promotes insulin clearance. Mice with global null mutation (Cc1 ) or with liver-specific inactivation (L-SACC1) of Cc1 (also known as Ceacam1) gene display hyperinsulinaemia resulting from impaired insulin clearance, insulin resistance, steatohepatitis and obesity. Because increased lipolysis contributes to the metabolic phenotype caused by transgenic inactivation of CEACAM1 in the liver, we aimed to further investigate the primary role of hepatic CEACAM1-dependent insulin clearance in insulin and lipid homeostasis.

IL-10 prevents aging-associated inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.

Altered energy balance and insulin resistance are important characteristics of aging. Skeletal muscle is a major site of glucose disposal, and the role of aging-associated inflammation in skeletal muscle insulin resistance remains unclear. To investigate, we examined glucose metabolism in 18-mo-old transgenic mice with muscle-specific overexpression of IL-10 (M) and in wild-type mice during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping.

ChREBP regulates fructose-induced glucose production independently of insulin signaling.

Obese, insulin-resistant states are characterized by a paradoxical pathogenic condition in which the liver appears to be selectively insulin resistant. Specifically, insulin fails to suppress glucose production, yet successfully stimulates de novo lipogenesis. The mechanisms underlying this dysregulation remain controversial.