Transcriptional co-factor TBLR1 controls lipid mobilization in white adipose tissue
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ABSTRACT: Lipid mobilization (lipolysis) in white adipose tissue (WAT) critically controls lipid turnover and adiposity in humans. While the acute regulation of lipolysis has been studied in detail, the transcriptional determinants of WAT lipolytic activity remain still largely unexplored. Here we show that the genetic inactivation of transcriptional co-factor transducin beta-like-related (TBLR) 1 blunts the lipolytic response of white adipocytes through the impairment of cAMP-dependent signal transduction. Indeed, mice lacking TBLR1 in adipocytes are defective in fasting-induced lipid mobilization and when placed on a high fat diet show aggravated adiposity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. TBLR1 levels are found to increase under lipolytic conditions in WAT of both human patients and mice, correlating with serum free fatty acids (FFA). As a critical regulator of WAT cAMP signaling and lipid mobilization, proper activity of TBLR1 in adipocytes may thus represent a critical molecular checkpoint for the prevention of metabolic dysfunction in subjects with obesity-related disorders. We used microarrays to identify global gene expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes lacking TBLR1 and compared gene expression to control shRNA treated cells in both basal and isoproterenol stimulated states.
Project description:Lipid mobilization (lipolysis) in white adipose tissue (WAT) critically controls lipid turnover and adiposity in humans. While the acute regulation of lipolysis has been studied in detail, the transcriptional determinants of WAT lipolytic activity remain still largely unexplored. Here we show that the genetic inactivation of transcriptional co-factor transducin beta-like-related (TBLR) 1 blunts the lipolytic response of white adipocytes through the impairment of cAMP-dependent signal transduction. Indeed, mice lacking TBLR1 in adipocytes are defective in fasting-induced lipid mobilization and when placed on a high fat diet show aggravated adiposity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. TBLR1 levels are found to increase under lipolytic conditions in WAT of both human patients and mice, correlating with serum free fatty acids (FFA). As a critical regulator of WAT cAMP signaling and lipid mobilization, proper activity of TBLR1 in adipocytes may thus represent a critical molecular checkpoint for the prevention of metabolic dysfunction in subjects with obesity-related disorders. We used microarrays to identify global gene expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes lacking TBLR1 and compared gene expression to control shRNA treated cells in both basal and isoproterenol stimulated states. We analyzed 12 RNA samples extracted from 3T3-L1 adipocytes that were treated with either control or TBLR1 specific shRNAs and with or without 10 µM isoproterenol for 3 hrs. Three replicates of each condition.
Project description:Defects in white adipose tissue lipolysis drive multiple aspects of cardiometabolic disease but the transcriptional framework controlling this process has not been established. To address this, we performed a targeted perturbation screen in primary human adipocytes. Our analyses identified 37 transcriptional regulators of lipid mobilization, which we classified as: i) transcription factors, ii) histone variant chaperones, and iii) mRNA processing proteins. Based on its strong relationship with multiple readouts of lipolysis in patient samples, we performed mechanistic studies on ZNF189, which encodes the Zinc Finger Protein 189. Using mass-spectrometry and chromatin profiling techniques, we show that ZNF189 interacts with the tripartite motif family member TRIM28 and represses the transcription of an adipocyte-specific isoform of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B2). The regulation of lipid mobilization by ZNF189 requires PDE1B2 and overexpression of PDE1B2 is sufficient to attenuate hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Thus, our work identifies the ZNF189-PDE1B2 axis as a determinant of human adipocyte lipolysis and highlights a link between chromatin architecture and lipid mobilization. We performed Clariom S microarray on human adipocytes to identify genes regulated by ZNF189 depletion.
Project description:Defects in white adipose tissue lipolysis drive multiple aspects of cardiometabolic disease but the transcriptional framework controlling this process has not been established. To address this, we performed a targeted perturbation screen in primary human adipocytes. Our analyses identified 37 transcriptional regulators of lipid mobilization, which we classified as: i) transcription factors, ii) histone variant chaperones, and iii) mRNA processing proteins. Based on its strong relationship with multiple readouts of lipolysis in patient samples, we performed mechanistic studies on ZNF189, which encodes the Zinc Finger Protein 189. Using mass-spectrometry and chromatin profiling techniques, we show that ZNF189 interacts with the tripartite motif family member TRIM28 and represses the transcription of an adipocyte-specific isoform of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B2). The regulation of lipid mobilization by ZNF189 requires PDE1B2 and overexpression of PDE1B2 is sufficient to attenuate hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Thus, our work identifies the ZNF189-PDE1B2 axis as a determinant of human adipocyte lipolysis and highlights a link between chromatin architecture and lipid mobilization. [Manuscript Abstract]
Project description:Defects in white adipose tissue lipolysis drive multiple aspects of cardiometabolic disease but the transcriptional framework controlling this process has not been established. To address this, we performed a targeted perturbation screen in primary human adipocytes. Our analyses identified 37 transcriptional regulators of lipid mobilization, which we classified as: i) transcription factors, ii) histone variant chaperones, and iii) mRNA processing proteins. Based on its strong relationship with multiple readouts of lipolysis in patient samples, we performed mechanistic studies on ZNF189, which encodes the Zinc Finger Protein 189. Using mass-spectrometry and chromatin profiling techniques, we show that ZNF189 interacts with the tripartite motif family member TRIM28 and represses the transcription of an adipocyte-specific isoform of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B2). The regulation of lipid mobilization by ZNF189 requires PDE1B2 and overexpression of PDE1B2 is sufficient to attenuate hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Thus, our work identifies the ZNF189-PDE1B2 axis as a determinant of human adipocyte lipolysis and highlights a link between chromatin architecture and lipid mobilization.
Project description:Defects in white adipose tissue lipolysis drive multiple aspects of cardiometabolic disease but the transcriptional framework controlling this process has not been established. To address this, we performed a targeted perturbation screen in primary human adipocytes. Our analyses identified 37 transcriptional regulators of lipid mobilization, which we classified as: i) transcription factors, ii) histone variant chaperones, and iii) mRNA processing proteins. Based on its strong relationship with multiple readouts of lipolysis in patient samples, we performed mechanistic studies on ZNF189, which encodes the Zinc Finger Protein 189. Using mass-spectrometry and chromatin profiling techniques, we show that ZNF189 interacts with the tripartite motif family member TRIM28 and represses the transcription of an adipocyte-specific isoform of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B2). The regulation of lipid mobilization by ZNF189 requires PDE1B2 and overexpression of PDE1B2 is sufficient to attenuate hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Thus, our work identifies the ZNF189-PDE1B2 axis as a determinant of human adipocyte lipolysis and highlights a link between chromatin architecture and lipid mobilization.
Project description:Defects in white adipose tissue lipolysis drive multiple aspects of cardiometabolic disease but the transcriptional framework controlling this process has not been established. To address this, we performed a targeted perturbation screen in primary human adipocytes. Our analyses identified 37 transcriptional regulators of lipid mobilization, which we classified as: i) transcription factors, ii) histone variant chaperones, and iii) mRNA processing proteins. Based on its strong relationship with multiple readouts of lipolysis in patient samples, we performed mechanistic studies on ZNF189, which encodes the Zinc Finger Protein 189. Using mass-spectrometry and chromatin profiling techniques, we show that ZNF189 interacts with the tripartite motif family member TRIM28 and represses the transcription of an adipocyte-specific isoform of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B2). The regulation of lipid mobilization by ZNF189 requires PDE1B2 and overexpression of PDE1B2 is sufficient to attenuate hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Thus, our work identifies the ZNF189-PDE1B2 axis as a determinant of human adipocyte lipolysis and highlights a link between chromatin architecture and lipid mobilization.
Project description:Under caloric restriction, bone marrow adipocytes (BM-Ad) do not decrease in size conversely to white adipocytes, suggesting their unique metabolic properties. We compared human primary BM-Ad with paired subcutaneous adipocytes (SC-Ad) using proteomic and lipidomic approaches. We found that while SC-Ad and BM-Ad share similar morphological features, they possess distinct lipid metabolism. BM-Ad shows enrichment in proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism correlating with increased free cholesterol content while proteins involved in lipolysis were downregulated. In particular, monoacylglycerol lipase expression was strongly reduced in BM-Ad, leading to accumulation of monoacylglycerol. Consequently, basal and induced lipolytic responses were absent in BM-Ad, affirming their differences in metabolic fitness upon caloric restriction. These specific metabolic features are not recapitulated in vitro using common protocols to differentiate bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Thus, contrary to classical SC-Ad, BM-Ad display a specific lipid metabolism, as they are devoid of lipolytic activity and exhibit a cholesterol-orientated metabolism.
Project description:White adipose tissue (WAT) is a key regulator of systemic energy metabolism, and impaired WAT plasticity characterized by enlargement of preexisting adipocytes associates with WAT dysfunction, obesity and metabolic complications. However, the mechanisms that retain proper adipose tissue plasticity required for metabolic fitness are unclear. Here, we comprehensively showed that adipocyte-specific DNA methylation, manifested in enhancers and CTCF sites, directs distal enhancer-mediated transcriptomic features required to conserve metabolic functions of white adipocytes. Particularly, genetic ablation of adipocyte Dnmt1, the major methylation writer, led to increased adiposity characterized by increased adipocyte hypertrophy along with reduced expansion of adipocyte precursors (APs). These effects of Dnmt1 deficiency provoked systemic hyperlipidemia and impaired energy metabolism both in lean and obese mice. Mechanistically, Dnmt1 deficiency abrogated mitochondrial bioenergetics by inhibiting mitochondrial fission and promoted aberrant lipid metabolism in adipocytes, rendering adipocyte hypertrophy and WAT dysfunction. Dnmt1-dependent DNA methylation prevented aberrant CTCF binding and, in turn, sustained the proper chromosome architecture to permit interactions between enhancer and dynamin-related protein gene Drp1 in adipocytes. Also, adipose DNMT1 expression inversely correlated with adiposity and markers of metabolic health, but positively correlated with AP-specific markers in obese human subjects. Thus, these findings support strategies utilizing Dnmt1 action on mitochondrial bioenergetics in adipocytes to combat obesity and related metabolic pathology.
Project description:Obesity is linked to the development of metabolic disorders. Expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT) from hypertrophy of pre-existing adipocytes and/or differentiation of precursors into new mature adipocytes contributes to obesity. We found that Nck2 expression is largely restricted to WAT, raising the hypothesis that it may play a unique function in that tissue. Using mice lacking Nck2, we found that Nck2 regulates adipocyte hypertrophy thus contributing to increased adiposity and progressive glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. These findings were recapitulated in humans such that Nck2 expression in omental WAT was inversely correlated with the degree of obesity. Mechanistically, Nck2 deficiency promoted the induction of an adipocyte differentiation program and signaling by the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathway in agreement with a role for the unfolded protein response in adipogenesis. These findings uncover Nck2 as a novel regulator of adipogenesis and that perturbation in its functionality contributes to adiposity-related metabolic disorders. Differential gene expression profile between epididymal white adipose tissue of Nck2-/- and Nck2+/+ mice by RNA sequencing (Illumina HiSEq 2000)
Project description:Decreased ambient temperature, from birth to weaning, significantly reduced fat mass (FM) and adiposity in developing mice. Changes in FM content in 10 day-old mice raised at 17°C were not accompanied by precocious induction of brown adipocytes in inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT). Brown phenotype was induced in 21 day-old mice independently of ambient temperature (17°C or 29°C) however the expression of Ucp1 and other brown fat biomarker genes was greater in animals raised at 17°C suggesting increased adaptive thermogenesis. Accordingly, we predict that the induction of brown adipocytes in WAT follows a strict developmental program and the number of potential brown adipocytes in WAT is determined genetically. Microarray analysis of gene expression was performed on inguinal white adipose tissue dissected from 10 and 21 day-old mice kept at different temperature conditions, that is, in mice maintained at 17°C or 29oC during early post-natal development.