Deletion of GPR21 improves glucose homeostasis and inhibits the CCL2-CCR2 axis by divergent mechanisms.

Introduction: A potential role for the orphan G protein-coupled receptor, GPR21, in linking immune cell infiltration into tissues and obesity-induced insulin resistance has been proposed, although limited studies in mice are complicated by non-selective deletion of .

Research Design And Methods: We hypothesized that a -selective knockout mouse model, coupled with type 2 diabetes patient samples, would clarify these issues and enable clear assessment of GPR21 as a potential therapeutic target.

Results: High-fat feeding studies in mice revealed improved glucose tolerance and modest changes in inflammatory gene expression. monocytes and intraperitoneal macrophages had selectively impaired chemotactic responses to monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, despite unaltered expression of . Further genotypic analysis revealed that chemotactic impairment was due to dysregulated monocyte polarization. Patient samples revealed elevated expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in type 2 diabetes, which was correlated with both %HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels.

Conclusions: Collectively, human and mouse data suggest that GPR21 influences both glucose homeostasis and MCP-1/CCL2-CCR2-driven monocyte migration. However, a bone marrow transplantation and high-fat feeding study in mice revealed no effect on glucose homeostasis, suggesting that there is no (or limited) overlap in the mechanism involved for monocyte-driven inflammation and glucose homeostasis.