Project description:Obesity, and visceral adiposity in particular, increases the risk of common metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several forms of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for regional fat storage remain poorly characterized, preventing therapeutic innovation. We here applied a systematic genome-wide screen and translational approach, where human primary preadipocytes were isolated from liposuction aspirate and differentiated. At day 7 of differentiation, cells were treated with BMS-466442 or vehicle (DMSO) for 24 hours. After incubation, cells were lysed, and RNA was purified, DNase treated, and the RNA integrity number was checked. Subsequently, cDNA libraries were generated via the TruSeq Stranded mRNA Library Prep kit and sequenced by Illumina Hiseq 4000.
Project description:Obesity, and visceral adiposity in particular, increases the risk of common metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several forms of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for regional fat storage remain poorly characterized, preventing therapeutic innovation. We here applied a systematic genome-wide screen and translational approach, and discovered a novel role for the adipocyte-expressed neutral amino acid transporter SLC7A10/ASC-1 in the regulation of visceral adiposity. Among 65 genes showing both adipose depot-dependent and fat loss-dependent expression, 27 genes further showed significant correlations with waist-to-hip (WHR) ratio adjusted for BMI. Among these ASC-1 was expressed at the highest level in isolated visceral adipocytes. Further, we found decreased ASC-1 mRNA in visceral, and not subcutaneous adipose tissue, in carriers of the KLF14 type 2 diabetes risk allele compared to the protective allele. By profiling amino acid fluxes during adipocyte differentiation in vitro, we found that ASC-1 inhibition by a selective inhibitor decreased adipocyte uptake particularly of serine in mature adipocytes. Interestingly, radiometric amino acid uptake assays showed ASC-1 dependent uptake of the serine D-enantiomere. Using primary human and murine adipocyte models, we uncovered marked effects of inhibiting ASC-1 on mitochondrial respiratory capacity (within hours) and lipid accumulation (within days). Finally, Asc-1 knockout (KO) zebrafish had increased body weight and adipocyte enlargement upon eight-week overfeeding compared to wild-type (WT) fish. RNA sequencing data from zebrafish adipose tissue showed up-regulation of genes involved in fatty acid and lipid metabolism in the ASC-1 KOs, consistent with the increased lipid accumulation in the inhibitor-treated cell models. Additionally, duox, an enzyme involved in ROS generation, showed higher expression in the KOs compared to the WTs. Importantly, we confirmed increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (within minutes and within hours) when inhibiting ASC-1 in our in vitro cell models. Our study points to increased ROS generation and reduced mitochondrial respiratory capacity as central early mechanisms in development of visceral adiposity, and a role for adipocyte D-serine transport via ASC-1 in these processes. Enhancing ASC-1 expression and/or activity in adipocytes, likely through primary effects on one-carbon metabolism and redox balance, is a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing visceral adiposity and related diseases.
Project description:Maternal obesity is linked with increased adverse pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. The metabolic impact of excessive fat within the context of pregnancy is not fully understood. We used a mouse model of high fat (HF) feeding to induce maternal obesity to identify adipose tissue-mediated mechanisms driving metabolic dysfunction in pregnant and non-pregnant obese mice. As expected, chronic HF-feeding for 12 weeks preceding pregnancy increased peripheral (subcutaneous) and visceral (mesenteric) fat mass. However, unexpectedly at late gestation (E18.5) HF-fed mice exhibited a remarkable normalization of visceral but not peripheral adiposity, with a 53% reduction in non-pregnant visceral fat mass expressed as a proportion of body weight (P<0.001). In contrast, in control animals, pregnancy had no effect on visceral fat mass proportion. Obesity exaggerated glucose intolerance at mid-pregnancy (E14.5). However by E18.5, there were no differences, in glucose tolerance between obese and control mice. Transcriptomic analysis of visceral fat from HF-fed dams at E18.5 revealed reduced expression of genes involved in de novo lipogenesis (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2--Dgat2) and inflammation (chemokine C-C motif ligand 20--Ccl2) and upregulation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) compared to HF non pregnant. Attenuation of adipose inflammation was functionally confirmed by a 45% reduction of CD11b+CD11c+ adipose tissue macrophages (expressed as a proportion of all stromal vascular fraction cells) in HF pregnant compared to HF non pregnant animals (P<0.001). An ERα selective agonist suppressed both de novo lipogenesis and expression of lipogenic genes in adipocytes in vitro. These data show that, in a HF model of maternal obesity, late gestation is associated with amelioration of visceral fat hypertrophy, inflammation and glucose intolerance, and suggest that these effects are mediated in part by elevated visceral adipocyte ERα signaling.
Project description:During its life cycle Leishmania undergoes extreme environmental changes, alternating between insect vectors and vertebrate hosts. In mammals the parasites replicate within parasitophorous vacuoles of macrophages, compartments that contain low concentrations of iron. Here we show that stimulation of iron transport, which is induced in Leishmania amazonensis by an iron-poor environment, triggers the differentiation of avirulent promastigotes into virulent amastigotes. Iron depletion from the culture medium triggered expression of the LIT1 ferrous iron transporter, growth arrest, and differentiation of wild type promastigotes into infective amastigotes. In contrast, LIT1 null promastigotes showed continued exponential growth in iron-poor media, followed by massive cell death. Iron depletion from the medium and LIT1 upregulation increased iron superoxide dismutase activity (FeSOD) in wild type, but not in LIT1 null parasites. Notably, the superoxide-generating drug menadione or H2O2 were sufficient to trigger differentiation of wild type promastigotes into fully infective amastigotes. On the other hand, LIT1 null promastigotes accumulated superoxide radical and initiated amastigote differentiation after exposure to H2O2, but not to menadione. Our results reveal a novel role for FeSOD activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in orchestrating the differentiation of Leishmania infective stages, in a process regulated by iron availability. Four samples were obtained in total from wild-type L. amazonensis promastigotes grown for 24 hours in culture. Two of these samples derived from medium with iron and two from mediam without iron.These two samples derived from each culture served as biological replicates.
Project description:ObjectiveObesity is associated with enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in adipose tissue. However, a causal role for ROS in adipose tissue expansion after high fat feeding is not established. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the cell permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic and peroxynitrite scavenger Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP) on adipose tissue expansion and remodeling in response to high fat diet (HFD) in mice.Design and methodsMale C57BL/6j mice were fed normal chow or high fat diet (HFD) and treated with saline or MnTBAP for 5 weeks. The effects of MnTBAP on body weights, whole body energy expenditure, adipose tissue morphology, and gene expression were determined.ResultsMnTBAP attenuated weight gain and adiposity through a reduction in adipocyte hypertrophy, adipogenesis, and fatty acid uptake in epididymal (eWAT) but not in inguinal (iWAT) white adipose tissue. Furthermore, MnTBAP reduced adipocyte death and inflammation in eWAT and diminished circulating levels of free fatty acids and leptin. Despite these improvements, the development of systemic insulin resistance and diabetes after HFD was not prevented with MnTBAP treatment.ConclusionsTaken together, these data suggest a causal role for ROS in the development of diet-induced visceral adiposity but not in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Project description:Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) is a member of G-protein-coupled receptors and affects ligand-modulated calcium signaling. Although PAR2 signaling promotes obesity and adipose tissue inflammation in high fat- (HF-) fed conditions, its role in adipocyte differentiation under nonobesogenic conditions needs to be elucidated. Here, we used several tissues and primary-cultured adipocytes of mice lacking PAR2 to study its role in the development of adipose tissues. C57BL/6J mice with PAR2 deficiency exhibited a mild lipodystrophy-like phenotype in a chow diet-fed condition. When adipocyte differentiation was examined using primary-cultured preadipocytes, PAR2 deficiency led to a notable decrease in adipocyte differentiation and related protein expression, and PAR2 agonist treatment elevated adipocyte differentiation. Regarding the mechanism, PAR2-deficient preadipocytes exhibited impaired mitochondrial energy consumption. Further studies indicated that calcium-related signaling pathways for mitochondrial biogenesis are disrupted in the adipose tissues of PAR2-deficient mice and PAR2-deficient preadipocytes. Also, a PAR2 antagonist elevated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and reduced the MitoTracker fluorescent signal in preadipocytes. Our studies revealed that PAR2 is important for the development of adipose tissue under basal conditions through the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and adipocyte differentiation.