Cell metabolism最新文献

The role of the gut microbiome in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, has emerged as a pivotal area of medical research. Wang et al.'s recent work reported that a gut bacteria-derived microbial-host isozyme, mimicking a human enzyme responsible for blood glucose regulation, can significantly impact the efficacy of diabetes medications.

Male and female mice display highly divergent responses to cold-induced thermogenic beiging of subcutaneous adipose tissues. Recently in Nature, Patel et al. showed that mammary duct epithelial cells respond to cold-induced sympathetic activity, triggering the secretion of lipocalin 2 (LCN2) to inhibit thermogenic differentiation of adjacent mammary adipocytes.

Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal childhood epilepsy caused by recessive mutations in either the EPM2A or EPM2B gene. A hallmark of LD is the intracellular accumulation of insoluble polysaccharide deposits known as Lafora bodies (LBs) in the brain and other tissues. In LD mouse models, genetic reduction of glycogen synthesis eliminates LB formation and rescues the neurological phenotype. Therefore, LBs have become a therapeutic target for ameliorating LD. Herein, we demonstrate that human pancreatic α-amylase degrades LBs. We fused this amylase to a cell-penetrating antibody fragment, and this antibody-enzyme fusion (VAL-0417) degrades LBs in vitro and dramatically reduces LB loads in vivo in Epm2a^-/- mice. Using metabolomics and multivariate analysis, we demonstrate that VAL-0417 treatment of Epm2a^-/- mice reverses the metabolic phenotype to a wild-type profile. VAL-0417 is a promising drug for the treatment of LD and a putative precision therapy platform for intractable epilepsy.

Chronic, low-grade inflammation triggered by excess intake of dietary lipids has been proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Although considerable evidence supports a causal association between inflammation and metabolic diseases, most tests of this link have been performed in cold-stressed mice that are housed below their thermoneutral zone. We report here that thermoneutral housing of mice has a profound effect on the development of metabolic inflammation, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. Mice housed at thermoneutrality develop metabolic inflammation in adipose tissue and in the vasculature at an accelerated rate. Unexpectedly, this increased inflammatory response contributes to the progression of atherosclerosis but not insulin resistance. These findings not only suggest that metabolic inflammation can be uncoupled from obesity-associated insulin resistance, but also point to how thermal stress might limit our ability to faithfully model human diseases in mice.

Hepatic steatosis is generally thought to develop via peripheral mechanisms associated with obesity. We show that chronic central infusion of leptin suppresses hepatic lipogenic gene expression and reduces triglyceride content via stimulation of hepatic sympathetic activity. This leptin function is independent of feeding and body weight but requires phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Attenuation of leptin-induced PI3K signaling, brought about by transgenic expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in leptin receptor neurons, leads to decreased hepatic sympathetic tone and increased triglyceride levels without affecting adiposity or hepatic insulin signaling. Central leptin's effects on hepatic norepinephrine levels and triglyceride content are blunted in these mutant mice. Simultaneous downregulation of PI3K and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (Stat3) in leptin receptor neurons does not exacerbate obesity but causes more severe hepatic steatosis. Together, our results indicate that central cellular leptin resistance in PI3K signaling manifests as hepatic steatosis without causing obesity.