Mari Kono

Enhanced insulin sensitivity in mice lacking ganglioside GM3.

Gangliosides are sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids that are present on all mammalian plasma membranes where they participate in recognition and signaling activities. We have established mutant mice that lack GM3 synthase (CMP-NeuAc:lactosylceramide α2,3-sialyltransferase; EC 2.4.99.-). These mutant mice were unable to synthesize GM3 ganglioside, a simple and widely distributed glycosphingolipid. The mutant mice were viable and appeared without major abnormalities but showed a heightened sensitivity to insulin. A basis for the increased insulin sensitivity in the mutant mice was found to be enhanced insulin receptor phosphorylation in skeletal muscle. Importantly, the mutant mice were protected from high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance. Our results show that GM3 ganglioside is a negative regulator of insulin signaling, making it a potential therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes.

Mice Expressing Only Monosialoganglioside GM3 Exhibit Lethal Audiogenic Seizures

Gangliosides are a family of glycosphingolipids that contain sialic acid. Although they are abundant on neuronal cell membranes, their precise functions and importance in the central nervous system (CNS) remain largely undefined. We have disrupted the gene encoding GD3 synthase (GD3S), a sialyltransferase expressed in the CNS that is responsible for the synthesis of b-series gangliosides. GD3S−/− mice, even with an absence of b-series gangliosides, appear to undergo normal development and have a normal life span. To further restrict the expression of gangliosides, the GD3S mutant mice were crossbred with mice carrying a disrupted GalNAcT gene encoding β1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase. These double mutant mice expressed GM3 as their major ganglioside. In contrast to the single mutant mice, the double mutants displayed a sudden death phenotype and were extremely susceptible to induction of lethal seizures by sound stimulus. These results demonstrate unequivocally that gangliosides play an essential role in the proper functioning of the CNS.

Deafness and Stria Vascularis Defects in S1P2 Receptor-null Mice

The S1P2 receptor is a member of a family of G protein-coupled receptors that bind the extracellular sphingolipid metabolite sphingosine 1-phosphate with high affinity. The receptor is widely expressed and linked to multiple G protein signaling pathways, but its physiological function has remained elusive. Here we have demonstrated that S1P2 receptor expression is essential for proper functioning of the auditory and vestibular systems. Auditory brainstem response analysis revealed that S1P2 receptor-null mice were deaf by one month of age. These null mice exhibited multiple inner ear pathologies. However, some of the earliest cellular lesions in the cochlea were found within the stria vascularis, a barrier epithelium containing the primary vasculature of the inner ear. Between 2 and 4 weeks after birth, the basal and marginal epithelial cell barriers and the capillary bed within the stria vascularis of the S1P2 receptor-null mice showed markedly disturbed structures. JTE013, an S1P2 receptor-specific antagonist, blocked the S1P-induced vasoconstriction of the spiral modiolar artery, which supplies blood directly to the stria vascularis and protects its capillary bed from high perfusion pressure. Vascular disturbance within the stria vascularis is a potential mechanism that leads to deafness in the S1P2 receptor-null mice.

Systemic inflammation in glucocerebrosidase-deficient mice with minimal glucosylceramide storage

Gaucher disease, the most common lysosomal storage disease, is caused by a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase resulting in the impairment of glucosylceramide degradation. The hallmark of the disease is the presence of the Gaucher cell, a macrophage containing much of the stored glucosylceramide found in tissues, which is believed to cause many of the clinical manifestations of the disease. We have developed adult mice carrying the Gaucher disease L444P point mutation in the glucocerebrosidase (Gba) gene and exhibiting a partial enzyme deficiency. The mutant mice demonstrate multisystem inflammation, including evidence of B cell hyperproliferation, an aspect of the disease found in some patients. However, the mutant mice do not accumulate large amounts of glucosylceramide or exhibit classic Gaucher cells in tissues.

Neutral ceramidase encoded by the Asah2 gene is essential for the intestinal degradation of sphingolipids.

Complex sphingolipids are abundant as eukaryotic cell membrane components, whereas their metabolites, in particular ceramide, sphingosine, and sphingosine 1-phosphate, are involved in diverse cell signaling processes. In mammals, degradation of ceramide by ceramidase yields sphingosine, which is phosphorylated by the action of sphingosine kinase to generate sphingosine 1-phosphate. Therefore, ceramidases are key enzymes in the regulation of the cellular levels of ceramide, sphingosine, and sphingosine 1-phosphate. To explore the physiological functions of a neutral ceramidase with diverse cellular locations, we disrupted the Asah2 gene in mice. Asah2 null mice have a normal life span and do not show obvious abnormalities or major alterations in total ceramide levels in tissues. The Asah2-encoded neutral ceramidase is highly expressed in the small intestine along the brush border, suggesting that the neutral ceramidase may be involved in a pathway for the digestion of dietary sphingolipids. Indeed, Asah2 null mice were deficient in the intestinal degradation of ceramide. Thus, the results indicate that the Asah2-encoded neutral ceramidase is a key enzyme for the catabolism of dietary sphingolipids and regulates the levels of bioactive sphingolipid metabolites in the intestinal tract.

HDL-bound sphingosine 1-phosphate acts as a biased agonist for the endothelial cell receptor S1P1 to limit vascular inflammation

HDL, the good cholesterol, biases the endothelial response to the lipid S1P to protect blood vessels. Maintaining vascular health with HDL Flow through blood vessels subjects endothelial cells to abnormal shear forces at specific locations that trigger inflammation, which contributes to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Galvani et al. found that vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis in mice were suppressed by the endothelial cell receptor S1P1, which is activated by S1P, a lipid mediator that is abundant in blood bound to different chaperone proteins. S1P suppressed inflammation in cultured endothelial cells when bound to the lipoprotein ApoM+HDL. Thus, S1P bound to different chaperones triggered distinct or “biased” signaling pathways, which may also contribute to the protective effect of HDL, commonly called “good cholesterol,” in atherosclerosis. The sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) is abundant in endothelial cells, where it regulates vascular development and microvascular barrier function. In investigating the role of endothelial cell S1P1 in adult mice, we found that the endothelial S1P1 signal was enhanced in regions of the arterial vasculature experiencing inflammation. The abundance of proinflammatory adhesion proteins, such as ICAM-1, was enhanced in mice with endothelial cell–specific deletion of S1pr1 and suppressed in mice with endothelial cell–specific overexpression of S1pr1, suggesting a protective function of S1P1 in vascular disease. The chaperones ApoM+HDL (HDL) or albumin bind to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) in the circulation; therefore, we tested the effects of S1P bound to each chaperone on S1P1 signaling in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Exposure of HUVECs to ApoM+HDL-S1P, but not to albumin-S1P, promoted the formation of a cell surface S1P1–β-arrestin 2 complex and attenuated the ability of the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα to activate NF-κB and increase ICAM-1 abundance. Although S1P bound to either chaperone induced MAPK activation, albumin-S1P triggered greater Gi activation and receptor endocytosis. Endothelial cell–specific deletion of S1pr1 in the hypercholesterolemic Apoe−/− mouse model of atherosclerosis enhanced atherosclerotic lesion formation in the descending aorta. We propose that the ability of ApoM+HDL to act as a biased agonist on S1P1 inhibits vascular inflammation, which may partially explain the cardiovascular protective functions of HDL.

HDL-bound sphingosine-1-phosphate restrains lymphopoiesis and neuroinflammation

Lipid mediators influence immunity in myriad ways. For example, circulating sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a key regulator of lymphocyte egress. Although the majority of plasma S1P is bound to apolipoprotein M (ApoM) in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle, the immunological functions of the ApoM–S1P complex are unknown. Here we show that ApoM–S1P is dispensable for lymphocyte trafficking yet restrains lymphopoiesis by activating the S1P1 receptor on bone marrow lymphocyte progenitors. Mice that lacked ApoM (Apom−/−) had increased proliferation of Lin− Sca-1+ cKit+ haematopoietic progenitor cells (LSKs) and common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) in bone marrow. Pharmacological activation or genetic overexpression of S1P1 suppressed LSK and CLP cell proliferation in vivo. ApoM was stably associated with bone marrow CLPs, which showed active S1P1 signalling in vivo. Moreover, ApoM-bound S1P, but not albumin-bound S1P, inhibited lymphopoiesis in vitro. Upon immune stimulation, Apom−/− mice developed more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, characterized by increased lymphocytes in the central nervous system and breakdown of the blood–brain barrier. Thus, the ApoM–S1P–S1P1 signalling axis restrains the lymphocyte compartment and, subsequently, adaptive immune responses. Unique biological functions imparted by specific S1P chaperones could be exploited for novel therapeutic opportunities.

Molecular Cloning and Expression of a Fifth Type of α2,8-Sialyltransferase (ST8Sia V) ITS SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF SAT-V/III, WHICH SYNTHESIZE GD1c, GT1a, GQ1b AND GT3

The cDNAs encoding a new α2,8-sialyltransferase (ST8Sia V) were cloned from a mouse brain cDNA library by means of a polymerase chain reaction-based method using the nucleotide sequence information on mouse ST8Sia I (GD3 synthase) and mouse ST8Sia III (Siaα2,3Galβ1,4GlcNAcα2,8-sialyltransferase), both of which exhibit activity toward glycolipids. The predicted amino acid sequence of ST8Sia V shows 36.1% and 15.0% identity to those of mouse ST8Sia I and III, respectively. The recombinant protein A-fused ST8Sia V expressed in COS-7 cells exhibited an α2,8-sialyltransferase activity toward GM1b, GD1a, GT1b, and GD3, and synthesized GD1c, GT1a, GQ1b, and GT3, respectively. The apparent Km values for GM1b, GD1a, GT1b and GD3 were 1.1, 0.082, 0.070, and 0.28 mM, respectively. However, ST8Sia V did not exhibit activity toward GM3. Thus, the substrate specificity of ST8Sia V is different from those of ST8Sia I and III, both of which exhibit activity toward GM3. Transfection of the ST8Sia V gene into COS-7 cells, which express GD1a as a major glycolipid, led to the expression of determinants for monoclonal antibody 4F10, which recognizes GT1a and GQ1b, suggesting that ST8Sia V exhibits activity toward gangliosides GD1a and/or GT1b in vivo. The expression of the ST8Sia V gene was tissue- and developmental stage-specific, and was clearly different from those of other α2,8-sialyltransferase genes. The ST8Sia V gene was strongly expressed in the brain and weakly in other tissues such as the liver. In addition, its expression was greater in the adult than fetal brain. These results strongly indicate that ST8Sia V is a candidate for SAT-V, the α2,8-sialyltransferase involved in GD1c, GT1a, GQ1b, and GT3 synthesis.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 reporter mice reveal receptor activation sites in vivo

Activation of the GPCR sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) regulates key physiological processes. S1P1 activation also has been implicated in pathologic processes, including autoimmunity and inflammation; however, the in vivo sites of S1P1 activation under normal and disease conditions are unclear. Here, we describe the development of a mouse model that allows in vivo evaluation of S1P1 activation. These mice, known as S1P1 GFP signaling mice, produce a S1P1 fusion protein containing a transcription factor linked by a protease cleavage site at the C terminus as well as a β-arrestin/protease fusion protein. Activated S1P1 recruits the β-arrestin/protease, resulting in the release of the transcription factor, which stimulates the expression of a GFP reporter gene. Under normal conditions, S1P1 was activated in endothelial cells of lymphoid tissues and in cells in the marginal zone of the spleen, while administration of an S1P1 agonist promoted S1P1 activation in endothelial cells and hepatocytes. In S1P1 GFP signaling mice, LPS-mediated systemic inflammation activated S1P1 in endothelial cells and hepatocytes via hematopoietically derived S1P. These data demonstrate that S1P1 GFP signaling mice can be used to evaluate S1P1 activation and S1P1-active compounds in vivo. Furthermore, this strategy could be potentially applied to any GPCR to identify sites of receptor activation during normal physiology and disease.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate regulation of mammalian development

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was first identified as a lysophospholipid metabolite whose formation is required for the irreversible degradation of sphingolipids. Years later, it was discovered that S1P is a bioactive lipid that provokes varied cell responses by acting through cell-surface receptors to drive cell signaling. More recent findings in model organisms have now established that S1P metabolism and signaling are integrated into many physiological systems. We describe here the surprising breadth of function of S1P in mammalian development and the underlying biologic processes that S1P regulates.