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Suboptimal in utero environments such as poor maternal nutrition and gestational diabetes can impact fetal birth weight and the metabolic health trajectory of the adult offspring. Fetal growth is associated with alterations in placental mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling; it is reduced in fetal growth restriction and increased in fetal overgrowth. We previously reported that when metabolically challenged by a high-fat diet, placental mTORKO (mTORKOpl) adult female offspring develop obesity and insulin resistance, whereas placental TSC2KO (TSC2KOpl) female offspring are protected from diet-induced obesity and maintain proper glucose homeostasis. In the present study, we sought to investigate whether reducing or increasing placental mTOR signaling in utero alters the programming of adult offspring metabolic tissues preceding a metabolic challenge. Adult male and female mTORKOpl, TSC2KOpl, and respective controls on a normal chow diet were subjected to an acute intraperitoneal insulin injection. Upon insulin stimulation, insulin signaling via phosphorylation of Akt and nutrient sensing via phosphorylation of mTOR target ribosomal S6 were evaluated in the offspring liver, white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. Among tested tissues, we observed significant changes only in the liver signaling. In the male mTORKOpl adult offspring liver, insulin-stimulated phospho-Akt was enhanced compared to littermate controls. Basal phospho-S6 level was increased in the mTORKOpl female offspring liver compared to littermate controls and did not increase further in response to insulin. RNA sequencing of offspring liver identified placental mTORC1 programming-mediated differentially expressed genes. The expression of major urinary protein 1 (Mup1) was differentially altered in female mTORKOpl and TSC2KOpl offspring livers and we show that MUP1 level is dependent on overnutrition and fasting status. In summary, deletion of placental mTOR nutrient sensing in utero programs hepatic response to insulin action in a sexually dimorphic manner. Additionally, we highlight a possible role for hepatic and circulating MUP1 in glucose homeostasis that warrants further investigation.
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N1-methylnicotinamide (MNAM), a product of methylation of nicotinamide through nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, displays anti-diabetic effects in male rodents. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative potential of MNAM on glucose metabolism in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) model. C57BL/6N mice were fed with high fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks before pregnancy and throughout gestation to establish the GDM model. Pregnant mice were treated with 0.3% or 1% MNAM during gestation. MNAM supplementation in CHOW diet and HFD both impaired the glucose tolerance at gestational day 14.5 without changes in insulin tolerance. However, it reduced hepatic lipid accumulation as well as mass and inflammation in visceral adipose tissue. MNAM treatment decreased GLUT4 mRNA and protein expression in skeletal muscle, where NAD+ salvage synthesis and antioxidant defenses were dampened. NAD+/Sirtuin system was enhanced in liver, which subsequently boosted hepatic gluconeogenesis. GLUT1 protein was deminished in placenta by MNAM. In addition, weight of placenta, fetus weight or litter size were not affected by MNAM treatment. The decreased GLUT4 in skeletal muscle, boosted hepatic gluconeogenesis and dampened GLUT1 in placenta jointly contribute to the impairment of GTT by MNAM. Our data provide evidences for the careful usage of MNAM in treatment of GDM.
Search for other papers by Hiroshi Ishikawa in
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Evolution and Reproductive Medicine, Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Fujita Medical Innovation Center Tokyo, Reproduction Center, Tokyo, Japan
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Graphical abstract
Abstract
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are benign tumors arising from the uterus, characterized by accumulation of abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) and sex steroid-dependent growth. Women with symptomatic UFs have reduced quality of life and decreased labor productivity. Among the driver gene mutations identified in UFs, mutations in MED12, a component of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) Mediator module, are the most common and observed in 50–80% of UFs. They are gain-of-function mutations and are more frequently observed in Black women and commonly observed even in small UFs. MED12 mutation-positive UFs (MED12-UFs) often develop multiple rather than solitary and have distinct gene expression profiles, DNA methylomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes. Gene expressions related to ECM organization and collagen-rich ECM components are upregulated, and impaired Mediator kinase activity and dysregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling are identified in MED12-UFs. Clinically, the UF shrinking effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and ulipristal acetate is dependent on the MED12 mutation status. Understanding of characteristics of MED12-UFs and functions of MED12 mutations for UF tumorigenesis may elucidate the pathophysiology of UFs, leading to the development of new therapeutic options in women with symptomatic UFs.
Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that increase the risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and include obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. Recent research indicates that excessive production of aldosterone and associated activation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) impair insulin metabolic signaling, promote insulin resistance, and increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and CVD. Moreover, activation of specific epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) in endothelial cells (EnNaC), which are downstream targets of endothelial-specific MR (ECMR) signaling, are also believed to play a crucial role in the development of metabolic syndrome and CVD. These adverse effects of ECMR/EnNaC activation are mediated by increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid metabolic disorders. It is worth noting that ECMR/EnNaC activation and the pathophysiology underlying metabolic syndrome and CVD appears to exhibit sexual dimorphism. Targeting ECMR/EnNaC signaling may have a beneficial effect in preventing insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and related CVD. This review aims to examine our current understanding of the relationship between MR activation and increased metabolic syndrome and CVD, with particular emphasis placed on the role for endothelial-specific ECMR/EnNaC signaling in these pathological processes.
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are highly specialised endothelial cells that form the liver microvasculature. LSECs maintain liver homeostasis, scavenging bloodborne molecules, regulating immune response, and actively promoting hepatic stellate cell quiescence. These diverse functions are underpinned by a suite of unique phenotypical attributes distinct from other blood vessels. In recent years, studies have begun to reveal the specific contributions of LSECs to liver metabolic homeostasis and how LSEC dysfunction associates with disease aetiology. This has been particularly evident in the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, which is associated with the loss of key LSEC phenotypical characteristics and molecular identity. Comparative transcriptome studies of LSECs and other endothelial cells, together with rodent knockout models, have revealed that loss of LSEC identity through disruption of core transcription factor activity leads to impaired metabolic homeostasis and to hallmarks of liver disease. This review explores the current knowledge of LSEC transcription factors, covering their roles in LSEC development and maintenance of key phenotypic features, which, when disturbed, lead to loss of liver metabolic homeostasis and promote features of chronic liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic liver disease.
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The pathogenesis of hypertension is not fully understood; endothelin 1 (EDN1) is involved in developing essential hypertension. EDN1 can promote vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation or hypertrophy through autocrine and paracrine effects. Proliferating smooth muscle cells in the aorta are 'dedifferentiated' cells that cause increased arterial stiffness and remodeling. Male SHRs had higher aortic stiffness than normal control male WKY rats. Male SHR VSMCs expressed high levels of the EDN1 gene, but endothelial cells did not. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the molecular mechanism of enhanced EDN1 expression in SHR VSMCs. We identified POU2F2 and CEBPB as the main molecules that enhance EDN1 expression in male SHR VSMCs. A promoter activity analysis confirmed that the enhancer region of the Edn1 promoter in male SHR VSMCs was from −1309 to −1279 bp. POU2F2 and CEBPB exhibited an additive role in the enhancer region of the EdnET1 promoter. POU2F2 or CEBPB overexpression sufficiently increased EDN1 expression, and co-transfection with the CEBPB and POU2F2 expression plasmids had additive effects on the activity of the Edn1 promoter and EDN1 secretion level of male WKY VSMCs. In addition, the knockdown of POU2F2 also revealed that POU2F2 is necessary to enhance EDN1 expression in SHR VSMCs. The enhancer region of the Edn1 promoter is highly conserved in rats, mice, and humans. POU2F2 and CEBPB mRNA levels were significantly increased in remodeled human VMSCs. In conclusion, the novel regulation of POU2F2 and CEBPB in VSMCs will help us understand the pathogenesis of hypertension and support the development of future treatments for hypertension.
Department of Endocrinology, Zhongda Hospital, Institute of Diabetes, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Beta-cell dysfunction is a hallmark of disease progression in patients with diabetes. Research has been focused on maintaining and restoring beta-cell function during diabetes development. The aims of this study were to explore the expression of C-type lectin domain containing 11A (CLEC11A), a secreted sulphated glycoprotein, in human islets and to evaluate the effects of CLEC11A on beta-cell function and proliferation in vitro. To test these hypotheses, human islets and human EndoC-βH1 cell line were used in this study. We identified that CLEC11A was expressed in beta-cells and alpha-cells in human islets but not in EndoC-βH1 cells, whereas the receptor of CLEC11A called integrin subunit alpha 11 was found in both human islets and EndoC-βH1 cells. Long-term treatment with exogenous recombinant human CLEC11A (rhCLEC11A) accentuated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, insulin content, and proliferation from human islets and EndoC-βH1 cells, which was partially due to the accentuated expression levels of transcription factors MAFA and PDX1. However, the impaired beta-cell function and reduced mRNA expression of INS and MAFA in EndoC-βH1 cells that were caused by chronic palmitate exposure could only be partially improved by the introduction of rhCLEC11A. Based on these results, we conclude that rhCLEC11A promotes insulin secretion, insulin content, and proliferation in human beta-cells, which are associated with the accentuated expression levels of transcription factors MAFA and PDX1. CLEC11A, therefore, may provide a novel therapeutic target for maintaining beta-cell function in patients with diabetes.
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WD40 repeat-containing proteins play a key role in many cellular functions including signal transduction, protein degradation, and apoptosis. The WD40 domain is highly conserved, and its typical structure is a β-propeller consisting of 4–8 blades which probably serves as a scaffold for protein–protein interaction. Some WD40 repeat-containing proteins form part of the corepressor complex of nuclear hormone receptors, a family of ligand-dependent transcription factors that play a central role in the regulation of gene transcription. This explains their involvement in endocrine physiology and pathology. In the present review, we first touch upon the structure of WD40 repeat-containing proteins. Next, we describe our current understanding of the role of WD40 domain-containing proteins in nuclear receptor signaling, e.g., as corepressor or coactivator. In the final part of this review, we focus on WD40 domain-containing proteins that are associated with endocrine pathologies. These pathologies vary from isolated dysfunction of one endocrine axis, e.g., congenital isolated central hypothyroidism, to more complex congenital syndromes comprising endocrine phenotypes, such as the Triple-A syndrome.
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Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
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Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, New Zealand
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The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) plays a critical role in regulating energy homeostasis. Studies on obesogenic human MC4R (hMC4R) variants have not yet revealed how hMC4R maintains body weight. Here, we identified a signaling profile for obesogenic constitutively active H76R and L250Q hMC4R variants transfected in HEK293 cells that included constitutive activity for adenylyl cyclase (AC), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element (CRE)-driven transcription, and calcium mobilization but not phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) activity. Importantly, the signaling profile included impaired α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced CRE-driven transcription but not impaired α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced AC, calcium, or pERK1/2. This profile was not observed for transfected H158R, a constitutively active hMC4R variant associated with overweight but not obesity. We concluded that there is potential for α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced CRE-driven transcription in HEK293 cells transfected with obesogenic hMC4R variants to be the key predictive tool for determining whether they exhibit loss of function. Furthermore, in vivo, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced hMC4R CRE-driven transcription may be key for maintaining body weight.
