Dalan R. Jensen

Obesity resistance and multiple mechanisms of triglyceride synthesis in mice lacking Dgat

Triglycerides (or triacylglycerols) represent the major form of stored energy in eukaryotes. Triglyceride synthesis has been assumed to occur primarily through acyl CoA:diacylglycerol transferase (Dgat), a microsomal enzyme that catalyses the final and only committed step in the glycerol phosphate pathway. Therefore, Dgat has been considered necessary for adipose tissue formation and essential for survival. Here we show that Dgat-deficient (Dgat−/−) mice are viable and can still synthesize triglycerides. Moreover, these mice are lean and resistant to diet-induced obesity. The obesity resistance involves increased energy expenditure and increased activity. Dgat deficiency also alters triglyceride metabolism in other tissues, including the mammary gland, where lactation is defective in Dgat−/− females. Our findings indicate that multiple mechanisms exist for triglyceride synthesis and suggest that the selective inhibition of Dgat-mediated triglyceride synthesis may be useful for treating obesity.

Deficiency of interleukin-18 in mice leads to hyperphagia, obesity and insulin resistance

Here we report the presence of hyperphagia, obesity and insulin resistance in knockout mice deficient in IL-18 or IL-18 receptor, and in mice transgenic for expression of IL-18 binding protein. Obesity of Il18−/− mice resulted from accumulation of fat tissue based on increased food intake. Il18−/− mice also had hyperinsulinemia, consistent with insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Insulin resistance was secondary to obesity induced by increased food intake and occurred at the liver level as well as at the muscle and fat-tissue level. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the hepatic insulin resistance in the Il18−/− mice involved an enhanced expression of genes associated with gluconeogenesis in the liver of Il18−/− mice, resulting from defective phosphorylation of STAT3. Recombinant IL-18 (rIL-18) administered intracerebrally inhibited food intake. In addition, rIL-18 reversed hyperglycemia in Il18−/− mice through activation of STAT3 phosphorylation. These findings indicate a new role of IL-18 in the homeostasis of energy intake and insulin sensitivity.

Increased insulin and leptin sensitivity in mice lacking acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1

Acyl coenzyme A:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is one of two known DGAT enzymes that catalyze the final step in mammalian triglyceride synthesis. DGAT1-deficient mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity through a mechanism involving increased energy expenditure. Here we show that these mice have decreased levels of tissue triglycerides, as well as increased sensitivity to insulin and to leptin. Importantly, DGAT1 deficiency protects against insulin resistance and obesity in agouti yellow mice, a model of severe leptin resistance. In contrast, DGAT1 deficiency did not affect energy and glucose metabolism in leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice, possibly due in part to a compensatory upregulation of DGAT2 expression in the absence of leptin. Our results suggest that inhibition of DGAT1 may be useful in treating insulin resistance and leptin resistance in human obesity.

Continuous Glucose Profiles in Obese and Normal-Weight Pregnant Women on a Controlled Diet Metabolic determinants of fetal growth

OBJECTIVE We sought to define 24-h glycemia in normal-weight and obese pregnant women using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) while they consumed a habitual and controlled diet both early and late in pregnancy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Glycemia was prospectively measured in early (15.7 ± 2.0 weeks’ gestation) and late (27.7 ± 1.7 weeks’ gestation) pregnancy in normal-weight (n = 22) and obese (n = 16) pregnant women on an ad libitum and controlled diet. Fasting glucose, triglycerides (early pregnancy only), nonesterified fatty acids (FFAs), and insulin also were measured. RESULTS The 24-h glucose area under the curve was higher in obese women than in normal-weight women both early and late in pregnancy despite controlled diets. Nearly all fasting and postprandial glycemic parameters were higher in the obese women later in pregnancy, as were fasting insulin, triglycerides, and FFAs. Infants born to obese mothers had greater adiposity. Maternal BMI (r = 0.54, P = 0.01), late average daytime glucose (r = 0.48, P < 0.05), and late fasting insulin (r = 0.49, P < 0.05) correlated with infant percentage body fat. However, early fasting triglycerides (r = 0.67, P < 0.001) and late fasting FFAs (r = 0.54, P < 0.01) were even stronger correlates. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to demonstrate that obese women without diabetes have higher daytime and nocturnal glucose profiles than normal-weight women despite a controlled diet both early and late in gestation. Body fat in infants, not birth weight, was related to maternal BMI, glucose, insulin, and FFAs, but triglycerides were the strongest predictor. These metabolic findings may explain higher rates of infant macrosomia in obese women, which might be targeted in trials to prevent excess fetal growth.

CCAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein β Deletion Reduces Adiposity, Hepatic Steatosis, and Diabetes in Leprdb/db Mice

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) plays a key role in initiation of adipogenesis in adipose tissue and gluconeogenesis in liver; however, the role of C/EBPβ in hepatic lipogenesis remains undefined. Here we show that C/EBPβ inactivation in Leprdb/db mice attenuates obesity, fatty liver, and diabetes. In addition to impaired adipogenesis, livers from C/EBPβ-/- x Leprdb/db mice had dramatically decreased triglyceride content and reduced lipogenic enzyme activity. C/EBPβ deletion in Leprdb/db mice down-regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 and up-regulated PPARα independent of SREBP1c. Conversely, C/EBPβ overexpression in wild-type mice increased PPARγ2 and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 mRNA and hepatic triglyceride content. In FAO cells, overexpression of the liver inhibiting form of C/EBPβ or C/EBPβ RNA interference attenuated palmitate-induced triglyceride accumulation and reduced PPARγ2 and triglyceride levels in the liver in vivo. Leptin and the anti-diabetic drug metformin acutely down-regulated C/EBPβ expression in hepatocytes, whereas fatty acids up-regulate C/EBPβ expression. These data provide novel evidence linking C/EBPβ expression to lipogenesis and energy balance with important implications for the treatment of obesity and fatty liver disease.

Thyroid hormone resistance and increased metabolic rate in the RXR-γ-deficient mouse

Vitamin A and retinoids affect pituitary-thyroid function through suppression of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and TSH-β subunit gene expression. We have previously shown that retinoid X receptor–selective (RXR-selective) ligands can suppress serum TSH levels in vivo and TSH-β promoter activity in vitro. The RXR-γ isotype has limited tissue distribution that includes the thyrotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland. In this study, we have performed a detailed analysis of the pituitary-thyroid function of mice lacking the gene for the RXR-γ isotype. These mice had significantly higher serum T4 levels and TSH levels than did wild-type (WT) controls. Treatment of RXR-γ–deficient and WT mice with T3 suppressed serum TSH and T4 levels in both groups, but RXR-γ–deficient mice were relatively resistant to exogenous T3. RXR-γ–deficient mice had significantly higher metabolic rates than did WT controls, suggesting that these animals have a pattern of central resistance to thyroid hormone. RXR-γ, which is also expressed in skeletal muscle and the hypothalamus, may have a direct effect on muscle metabolism, regulation of food intake, or thyrotropin-releasing hormone levels in the hypothalamus. In conclusion, the RXR-γ isotype appears to contribute to the regulation of serum TSH and T4 levels and to affect peripheral metabolism through regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis or through direct effects on skeletal muscle.

Obesity resistance and enhanced glucose metabolism in mice transplanted with white adipose tissue lacking acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1.

Recent studies have identified the white adipose tissue (WAT) as an important endocrine organ that regulates energy and glucose metabolism via a number of secreted factors. Mice lacking acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), a key enzyme in mammalian triglyceride synthesis, are protected against diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance because of increased energy expenditure and enhanced insulin sensitivity. Because DGAT1 is highly expressed in WAT, we hypothesized that DGAT1 deficiency affects the expression of adipocyte-derived factors that regulate energy and glucose metabolism. Here we show that the transplantation of DGAT1-deficient WAT decreases adiposity and enhances glucose disposal in wild-type mice. Analysis of DGAT1-deficient WAT revealed a twofold increase in the expression of adiponectin, a molecule that enhances fatty acid oxidation and insulin sensitivity, and this increase may account in part for the transplantation-induced metabolic changes. Our results highlight the importance of the endocrine function of WAT and suggest that an alteration in this function contributes to the increased energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity in DGAT1-deficient mice.

CD36-Facilitated Fatty Acid Uptake Inhibits Leptin Production and Signaling in Adipose Tissue

Leptin plays an important role in regulating energy expenditure in response to food intake, but nutrient regulation of leptin is incompletely understood. In this study using in vivo and in vitro approaches, we examined the role of fatty acid uptake in modulating leptin expression and production. Leptin levels are doubled in the CD36-null mouse, which has impaired cellular fatty acid uptake despite a 40% decrease in fat mass. The CD36-null mouse is protected from diet-induced weight gain but not from that consequent to leptin deficiency. Leptin secretion in the CD36-null mouse is strongly responsive to glucose intake, whereas a blunted response is observed in the wild-type mouse. This indicates that leptin regulation integrates opposing influences from glucose and fatty acid and loss of fatty acid inhibition allows unsuppressed stimulation by glucose/insulin. Fatty acid inhibition of basal and insulin-stimulated leptin release is linked to CD36-facilitated fatty acid flux, which is important for fatty acid activation of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ and likely contributes to the nutrient sensing function of adipocytes. Fatty acid uptake also may modulate adipocyte leptin signaling. The ratio of phosphorylated to unphosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, an index of leptin activity, is increased in CD36-null fat tissue disproportionately to leptin levels. In addition, expression of leptin-sensitive fatty acid oxidative enzymes is enhanced. Targeting adipocyte CD36 may offer a way to uncouple leptin production and adiposity.

Change in skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity in response to insulin/glucose in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase (SMLPL) provides fatty acids to myocytes for lipoprotein triglyceride oxidation. In human obesity, an insulin-resistant state, SMLPL levels measured in the fasted state are either decreased or unchanged as compared with levels in normal-weight controls. However, insulin/glucose infusion increases SMLPL activity in obese individuals, whereas in normal-weight subjects the activity is decreased. One of the goals of this study was to determine the impact of obesity with concomitant non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) on fasting SMLPL and on the change in SMLPL activity (delta MLPL) in response to an insulin/glucose infusion. Because NIDDM is often a more insulin-resistant state, it was hypothesized that SMLPL activity would be further increased by insulin/glucose in subjects who were obese and had NIDDM. Measurements of SMLPL were made from biopsies of vastus lateralis skeletal muscle taken before and after a 6-hour insulin/glucose infusion in the setting of a euglycemic clamp. Thirteen nondiabetic obese women (OBC) and six nondiabetic normal-weight women (NWC) were used as control subjects. SMLPL levels measured in the fasted state were significantly lower in obese NIDDM subjects as compared with either control group. Relative insulin action was determined by calculation of the mean glucose infusion rate (GIR) required to sustain euglycemia over the last 60 minutes of the infusion. For all three groups combined, representing a continuum of insulin sensitivity, there was a positive correlation between GIR and fasting SMLPL. As described earlier, in the NWC group SMLPL activity decreased significantly after 6 hours of insulin/glucose, and in the OBC group SMLPL increased after insulin/glucose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Orlistat fails to alter postprandial plasma lipid excursions or plasma lipases in normal-weight male volunteers.

OBJECTIVES: After 10 d of orlistat administration (120 mg three times/day), the primary objective was to determine the drugs effect on postprandial plasma lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL) activities on day 10 after an oral fat-load. The secondary objectives were to determine the effects of orlistat on 12 h postprandial measures of: (1) preheparin HTGL and LPL; and (2) serum triglycerides, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and free fatty acids.METHODS: Twenty-four normal-weight, healthy male volunteers were randomized to either 120 mg orlistat (n=12) or placebo (n=12) three times a day with meals for 10 d. Preheparin LPL and HTGL activities and LPL specific activity were measured in the fasted state on days 1, 5, and 10. On days 5 and 10 the study medication (orlistat or placebo) was taken at the beginning of a fat-rich breakfast and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels monitored for 12 h postprandially. On day 10, 15 min postheparin HTGL activity was measured 8 h after the fat-rich breakfast.RESULTS: No differences were found between groups in fasting levels of preheparin LPL or HTGL activity or in LPL-specific activity on days 1, 5 and 10. No difference was found between the two treatment groups in postheparin HTGL activity 8 h after the fat-rich breakfast. Also, no differences were found between the two groups in plasma triglycerides or lipoproteins.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the oral administration of orlistat (120 mg t.i.d.) does not significantly alter plasma triglycerides or lipoproteins, and that the inhibitory effect of orlistat on lipases is limited to the gastrointestinal tract and is not manifested systemically.