Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are emerging therapeutic strategies against obesity, insulin resistance and their complications. However, the effectors that drive this response are not completely defined. Here we identify arginase 2 (Arg2) as a fasting-induced hepatocyte factor that protects against hepatic and peripheral fat accumulation, hepatic inflammatory responses, and insulin and glucose intolerance in obese murine models. Arg2 is upregulated in fasting conditions and upon treatment with the hepatocyte glucose transporter inhibitor trehalose. Hepatocyte-specific Arg2 overexpression enhances basal thermogenesis, and protects from weight gain, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, hepatic steatosis and hepatic inflammation in diabetic mouse models. Arg2 suppresses expression of the regulator of G-protein signalling (RGS) 16, and genetic RGS16 reconstitution reverses the effects of Arg2 overexpression. We conclude that hepatocyte Arg2 is a critical effector of the hepatic glucose fasting response and define a therapeutic target to mitigate the complications of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6453920PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09642-8DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

arginase arg2
8
insulin resistance
8
glucose intolerance
8
models arg2
8
arg2 overexpression
8
arg2
7
hepatic
6
hepatic arginase
4
arg2 sufficient
4
sufficient convey
4

Similar Publications

Background: The inheritance of the short allele, encoding the serotonin transporter (SERT) in humans, increases susceptibility to neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders, with aging and female sex further exacerbating these conditions. Both central and peripheral mechanisms of the compromised serotonin (5-HT) system play crucial roles in this context. Previous studies on SERT-deficient (Sert) mice, which model human SERT deficiency, have demonstrated emotional and metabolic disturbances, exacerbated by exposure to a high-fat Western diet (WD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arginase (ARG) is a binuclear manganese-containing metalloenzyme that can convert L-arginine to L-ornithine and urea and plays a key role in the urea cycle. It also mediates different cellular functions and processes such as proliferation, senescence, apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammatory responses in various cell types. In mammals, there are two isoenzymes, ARG-1 and ARG-2; they are functionally similar, but their coding genes, tissue distribution, subcellular localization, and molecular regulation are distinct.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arginase-II gene deficiency reduces skeletal muscle aging in mice.

Aging (Albany NY)

December 2024

Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular System, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland.

Age-associated sarcopenia decreases mobility and is promoted by cell senescence, inflammation, and fibrosis. The mitochondrial enzyme arginase-II (Arg-II) plays a causal role in aging and age-associated diseases. Therefore, we aim to explore the role of Arg-II in age-associated decline of physical activity and skeletal muscle aging in a mouse model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arginase 2 (Arg2) is the predominant arginase isoenzyme in the brain, however its distribution appears to be limited to selected, region-specific subpopulations of cells. Although striatum is highly enriched with Arg2, precise localization and function of striatal Arg2 have never been studied. Here, we confirm that Arg2 is the only arginase isoenzyme in the striatum, and, using genetic model of total Arg2 loss, we show that Arg2 in this region is fully responsible for arginase catalytic activity, and its loss doesn't induce compensatory activation of Arg1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple myeloma (MM), one of the most frequent haematological malignancies, significantly increases the risk of bacterial infections due to treatment-related side effects, comorbidities and cancer-induced immune deficiencies. Recently, CD71 erythroid cells (CECs) have been identified as key immunomodulators in neonates and cancer patients, but their role in MM progression remains unclear. Using a murine MM model, closely resembling human disease, we observed that MM progression is associated with anaemia and an increase in immature CECs, which are characterized by elevated arginase 2 (ARG2) expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!