Srebp1c-PAX4 Axis Mediates Pancreatic Β-Cell Compensatory
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Diabetes Volume 68, January 2019 81 SREBP1c-PAX4 Axis Mediates Pancreatic b-Cell Compensatory Responses Upon Metabolic Stress Gung Lee,1 Hagoon Jang,1 Ye Young Kim,1 Sung Sik Choe,1 Jinuk Kong,1 Injae Hwang,1 Jeu Park,1 Seung-Soon Im,2 and Jae Bum Kim1 Diabetes 2019;68:81–94 | https://doi.org/10.2337/db18-0556 SREBP1c is a key transcription factor for de novo lipo- or hyperglycemia in obesity, pancreatic islets adaptively genesis. Although SREBP1c is expressed in pancreatic elevate the level of serum insulin through a b-cell com- islets, its physiological roles in pancreatic b-cells are pensatory mechanism. This process includes the expansion largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that of b-cell mass and the augmentation of insulin production b SREBP1c regulates -cell compensation under meta- (3,4). Although b-cell neogenesis and protection from bolic stress. SREBP1c expression level was augmented apoptosis can contribute to b-cell mass expansion, accu- in pancreatic islets from obese and diabetic animals. In mulating evidence suggests that an increase in b-cell pro- pancreatic b-cells, SREBP1c activation promoted the b liferation would be the principal mechanism of postnatal ISLET STUDIES expression of cell cycle genes and stimulated -cell b b proliferation through its novel target gene, PAX4. Com- -cell growth (5,6). Thus, the potentiation of -cell pro- pared with SREBP1c+/+ mice, SREBP1c2/2 mice showed liferation is important to maintain glucose homeostasis glucose intolerance with low insulin levels. Moreover, and to protect against the onset of diabetes. b-cells from SREBP1c2/2 mice exhibited reduced SREBP1c is a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper tran- capacity to proliferate and secrete insulin. Conversely, scription factor that governs de novo lipogenesis (7–10). transplantation of SREBP1c-overexpressing islets re- During the postprandial state, insulin activates SREBP1c stored insulin levels and relieved hyperglycemia in strep- via AKT (protein kinase B) and mTORC1 (mammalian tozotocin-induced diabetic animals. Collectively, these target of rapamycin C1) (11,12). SREBP1c stimulates de data suggest that pancreatic SREBP1c is a key player novo lipogenesis by elevating the expression of lipogenic in mediating b-cell compensatory responses in obesity. target genes including fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (12–14). More- over, SREBP1c has been implicated in lipid metabolisms of Pancreatic islets regulate glucose homeostasis through the pancreatic islets (15,16). For instance, it has been reported secretion of several hormones, particularly glucagon and that the activation of SREBP1c by liver X receptor agonist insulin. Under hypoglycemic conditions, glucagon is re- increases intracellular lipid accumulation in pancreatic leased from pancreatic a-cells to promote hepatic glyco- islets (16). SREBP1 is associated with cell growth through genolysis and gluconeogenesis to increase blood glucose lipid metabolism and/or cell cycle progression in cer- levels (1). In contrast, insulin secretion from pancreatic tain cell types (17,18). However, it remains unclear b-cells is stimulated by hyperglycemia. Insulin effectively whether SREBP1c might be associated with pancreatic b-cell lowers the level of blood glucose via glucose uptake into proliferation. peripheral tissues and hinders hepatic glucose production. Paired box 4 (PAX4) belongs to the PAX gene family, On the other hand, metabolic stresses such as obesity and a group of transcription factors that carry out essential insulin resistance increase insulin demand and disrupt roles in embryogenesis as well as in cellular plasticity glucose homeostasis (2). In response to chronic fuel surfeit in adults (19). PAX4 is mainly expressed in endocrine 1National Creative Research Initiatives Center for Adipose Tissue Remodeling, This article contains Supplementary Data online at http://diabetes Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, .diabetesjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2337/db18-0556/-/DC1. Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea © 2018 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as 2 Department of Physiology and Medical Research Center, Keimyung University long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea work is not altered. More information is available at http://www.diabetesjournals Corresponding author: Jae Bum Kim, [email protected] .org/content/license. Received 18 May 2018 and accepted 3 October 2018 82 SREBP1c-PAX4 Axis in b-Cell Compensation Diabetes Volume 68, January 2019 pancreas where it plays an essential role to induce differ- using the sensitive colorimetric assay for viable cells entiation toward b-cells (20). Also, PAX4 has been impli- according to the manufacturer protocol (#CK04-11; cated in b-cell plasticity of adult pancreatic islets. For Dojindo Molecular Technologies). example, it has been revealed that ectopic expression of PAX4 in human or murine islets enhances b-cell prolifer- Quantitative Real-time PCR ation by stimulating the transcription of cell cycle genes Total RNAs were isolated from MIN6 and aTC1–6 cells (21–23). Moreover, the overexpression of PAX4 protects using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen). Islet RNAs were pre- b-cells from apoptosis induced by streptozotocin (STZ) pared using the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen). Subsequently, (24). Recently, it has been reported that mutations of the equal amounts of RNA were synthesized to cDNA using PAX4 gene are associated with type 1 and 2 diabetes as well RevertAid reverse transcriptase (#EP0441; Thermo Fisher as ketosis-prone diabetes in various ethnic groups (25). Scientific). Relative amounts of mRNA were calculated by Although the correlation between PAX4 dysfunction and using a CFX Real-Time Quantitative PCR Detection System diabetes has been demonstrated, the regulatory mecha- (Bio-Rad) after normalization to cyclophilin mRNA. The nism of PAX4 expression remains elusive. primer sequences used are listed in Supplementary Table 1. +/+ In this study, we investigated SREBP1c and 2/2 SREBP1c mice under normal chow diet (NCD) or Preparation of Recombinant Adenovirus a high-fat diet (HFD) to understand the roles of SREBP1c Adenoviral plasmid were constructed as previously de- in pancreatic islets. We demonstrate that pancreatic scribed (26). cDNAs for SREBP1c and PAX4 were incor- SREBP1c plays an important role in b-cell compensatory porated into an AdTrack-CMV shuttle vector and an responses upon metabolic stress, accompanied with regu- Ad-Easy vector. Adenoviruses were amplified in human lating b-cell proliferation and survival. In pancreatic islets, embryonic kidney 293A (HEK293A) cells and isolated by we identified that PAX4 could act as a downstream medi- CsCl density centrifugation. Green fluorescent protein ator of SREBP1c to control b-cell growth. In addition, was coexpressed from an independent promoter with transplantation of SREBP1c-overexpressing primary islets inserted cDNA. Empty virus expressing only the gene ameliorated glucose intolerance in diabetic animals, im- for green fluorescent protein served as control (MOCK). plying that elevated expression of SREBP1c would poten- b tiate -cell function. Collectively, our data suggest that the Cell Culture and siRNA SREBP1c-PAX4 axis would play a pivotal role in compen- MIN6 cells were cultured in DMEM medium containing satory responses of pancreatic islets under metabolic 15% FBS (HyClone). HEK293T, aTC1–6 cells were cultured stress. in DMEM containing 10% FBS. Harvested primary islets were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium (HyClone) with 10% RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS FBS. Two kinds of siRNAs were designed and produced Animals and Treatment by Bioneer (Daejeon, South Korea). The antisense siPAX4 2/2 SREBP1c mice were provided by Dr. Jay D. Horton at sequences were as follows: antisense, UGGUACUCCUCA- the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center CAGAAGG and ACUGUCAAAUAGAGGCCUC. siRNA was (Dallas, TX). db/+ and db/db male mice were obtained transfected using lipofectamine-iMAX (Thermo Fisher 2/2 from Daehan Bio (Seoul, Korea). SREBP1c and Scientific) into cell lines. +/+ SREBP1 littermates were maintained on a NCD (Zeigler) for 8 weeks. They were fed with NCD or 60% HFD (Re- Immunohistochemistry search Diets Inc.) for 12 weeks. For fasted/refed experi- The pancreata were isolated from mice, fixed in 4% para- ments, blood samples were collected after fasting for 16 h formaldehyde, and embedded in paraffin block. Paraffin and refeeding for 2 h. Mouse tissue specimens were blocks were cut into 5-mm-thick sections with 30-mm immediately stored at 280°C. For the glucose tolerance intervals. Pancreas sections from NCD- or HFD-fed mice test (GTT), mice were fasted for 16 h and intraperitoneally and db/db mice were stained with anti-SREBP1 (SC-367; 2 injected with glucose (1 g $ kg 1 body weight for mice). Santa Cruz Biotechnology), anti-insulin (ab7842; Abcam), Blood glucose levels were measured in tail vein blood anti-pax4 (ab42450; Abcam), anti-glucagon (ab10983; samples by using a Contour TS Blood Glucose Meter Abcam), and anti-Ki67-FITC (11-5698-80; eBioscience) anti- (Bayer). For the insulin tolerance test (ITT), ad libitum bodies. Species-specific secondary antibodies staining or mice were intraperitoneally injected with insulin (1 unit/kg diaminobenzidine staining was followed. For the islet mor- body weight for mice). All experiments with mice were phology