Caspase signalling controls microglia activation and neurotoxicity

Activation of microglia and inflammation-mediated neurotoxicity are suggested to play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders. Activated microglia release pro-inflammatory factors that may be neurotoxic. Here we show that the orderly activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3/7, known executioners of apoptotic cell death, regulate microglia activation through a protein kinase C (PKC)-δ-dependent pathway. We find that stimulation of microglia with various inflammogens activates caspase-8 and caspase-3/7 in microglia without triggering cell death in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown or chemical inhibition of each of these caspases hindered microglia activation and consequently reduced neurotoxicity. We observe that these caspases are activated in microglia in the ventral mesencephalon of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the frontal cortex of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Taken together, we show that caspase-8 and caspase-3/7 are involved in regulating microglia activation. We conclude that inhibition of these caspases could be neuroprotective by targeting the microglia rather than the neurons themselves.     

The lipid phosphatase SHIP2 controls insulin sensitivity

Insulin is the primary hormone involved in glucose homeostasis, and impairment of insulin action and/or secretion has a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Type-II SH2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase, or 'SHIP2', is a member of the inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase family. In vitro studies have shown that SHIP2, in response to stimulation by numerous growth factors and insulin, is closely linked to signalling events mediated by both phosphoinositide-3-OH kinase and Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase. Here we report the generation of mice lacking the SHIP2 gene. Loss of SHIP2 leads to increased sensitivity to insulin, which is characterized by severe neonatal hypoglycaemia, deregulated expression of the genes involved in gluconeogenesis, and perinatal death. Adult mice that are heterozygous for the SHIP2 mutation have increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity associated with an increased recruitment of the GLUT4 glucose transporter and increased glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscles. Our results show that SHIP2 is a potent negative regulator of insulin signalling and insulin sensitivity in vivo.     

胰岛素抵抗及高血糖对GFAT活性的影响

分别观察了胰岛素抵抗和高血糖水平对己糖胺途径限速酶GFAT活性的影响.在alloxan高血糖小鼠模型中,与正常对照组比较,血清果糖胺水平升高了15.9%,肾组织GFAT活性升高了32.8%;经胰岛素治疗后,血清果糖胺水平降低了9.7%,其肾组织GFAT活性也降低了l9.4%.在高糖高脂饲料诱导的胰岛素抵抗的IR小鼠中,与同批正常对照组比较,正糖钳实验中稳态时葡萄糖输注率G IR值降低了69.3%,胰岛素耐量实验中的AUC值升高了38.1%,其肾脏组织GFAT活性也增加了26.6%.在胰岛素诱导的具有胰岛素抵抗的IR-H IR c细胞模型中,与正常H IR c细胞比较,其10、25 nmol/L胰岛素诱导的葡萄糖摄取能力分别降低了25.3%、21.1%,而GFAT活性分别增加了29.7%、46.5%.可见,GFAT活性与一段时间的平均血糖水平和胰岛素抵抗状态密切正相关.     

Mechanisms linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In obese individuals, adipose tissue releases increased amounts of non-esterified fatty acids, glycerol, hormones, pro-inflammatory cytokines and other factors that are involved in the development of insulin resistance. When insulin resistance is accompanied by dysfunction of pancreatic islet beta-cells - the cells that release insulin - failure to control blood glucose levels results. Abnormalities in beta-cell function are therefore critical in defining the risk and development of type 2 diabetes. This knowledge is fostering exploration of the molecular and genetic basis of the disease and new approaches to its treatment and prevention.     

A central role for JNK in obesity and insulin resistance

Obesity is closely associated with insulin resistance and establishes the leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet the molecular mechanisms of this association are poorly understood. The c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) can interfere with insulin action in cultured cells and are activated by inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids, molecules that have been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. Here we show that JNK activity is abnormally elevated in obesity. Furthermore, an absence of JNK1 results in decreased adiposity, significantly improved insulin sensitivity and enhanced insulin receptor signalling capacity in two different models of mouse obesity. Thus, JNK is a crucial mediator of obesity and insulin resistance and a potential target for therapeutics.     

2型糖尿病胰岛素抵抗研究进展

胰岛素抵抗和B细胞功能障碍是2型糖尿病发病机制的两个主要环节,而胰岛素抵抗是2型糖尿病发生的始动因素.研究发现,信号蛋白异常和炎症因子与胰岛素抵抗的发生密切相关,探讨其相关关系为治疗糖尿病、防治或延缓其并发症的发生提供重要的科学依据.     

Leptin reverses insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in mice with congenital lipodystrophy.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a paucity of adipose (fat) tissue which is evident at birth and is accompanied by a severe resistance to insulin, leading to hyperinsulinaemia, hyperglycaemia and enlarged fatty liver. We have developed a mouse model that mimics these features of CGL: the syndrome occurs in transgenic mice expressing a truncated version of a nuclear protein known as nSREBP-1c (for sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein-1c) under the control of the adipose-specific aP2 enhancer. Adipose tissue from these mice was markedly deficient in messenger RNAs encoding several fat-specific proteins, including leptin, a fat-derived hormone that regulates food intake and energy metabolism. Here we show that insulin resistance in our lipodystrophic mice can be overcome by a continuous systemic infusion of low doses of recombinant leptin, an effect that is not mimicked by chronic food restriction. Our results support the idea that leptin modulates insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal independently of its effect on food intake, and that leptin deficiency accounts for the insulin resistance found in CGL.     

Inhibition of cytohesins by SecinH3 leads to hepatic insulin resistance

G proteins are an important class of regulatory switches in all living systems. They are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), which facilitate the exchange of GDP for GTP. This activity makes GEFs attractive targets for modulating disease-relevant G-protein-controlled signalling networks. GEF inhibitors are therefore of interest as tools for elucidating the function of these proteins and for therapeutic intervention; however, only one small molecule GEF inhibitor, brefeldin A (BFA), is currently available. Here we used an aptamer displacement screen to identify SecinH3, a small molecule antagonist of cytohesins. The cytohesins are a class of BFA-resistant small GEFs for ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs), which regulate cytoskeletal organization, integrin activation or integrin signalling. The application of SecinH3 in human liver cells showed that insulin-receptor-complex-associated cytohesins are required for insulin signalling. SecinH3-treated mice show increased expression of gluconeogenic genes, reduced expression of glycolytic, fatty acid and ketone body metabolism genes in the liver, reduced liver glycogen stores, and a compensatory increase in plasma insulin. Thus, cytohesin inhibition results in hepatic insulin resistance. Because insulin resistance is among the earliest pathological changes in type 2 diabetes, our results show the potential of chemical biology for dissecting the molecular pathogenesis of this disease.     

中等负荷运动对胰岛素抵抗大鼠脾脏DC影响的研究

通过运动干预高脂饮食诱发的胰岛素抵抗大鼠,了解运动对其树突状细胞形态和功能的影响,旨在探讨运动在免疫中的作用,为运动免疫提供理论支持。结果显示:较长周期的中等负荷的运动干预可以使高脂饮食诱发的胰岛素抵抗大鼠树突状细胞形态结构和功能得到一定恢复;其机理可能是通过运动降低血糖水平、改善降低胰岛素抵抗,减少机体脂肪组织,降低低度炎症,提高机体免疫力的结论。     

Serum retinol binding protein 4 contributes to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes

In obesity and type 2 diabetes, expression of the GLUT4 glucose transporter is decreased selectively in adipocytes. Adipose-specific Glut4 (also known as Slc2a4) knockout (adipose-Glut4(-/-)) mice show insulin resistance secondarily in muscle and liver. Here we show, using DNA arrays, that expression of retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) is elevated in adipose tissue of adipose-Glut4(-/-) mice. We show that serum RBP4 levels are elevated in insulin-resistant mice and humans with obesity and type 2 diabetes. RBP4 levels are normalized by rosiglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing drug. Transgenic overexpression of human RBP4 or injection of recombinant RBP4 in normal mice causes insulin resistance. Conversely, genetic deletion of Rbp4 enhances insulin sensitivity. Fenretinide, a synthetic retinoid that increases urinary excretion of RBP4, normalizes serum RBP4 levels and improves insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in mice with obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Increasing serum RBP4 induces hepatic expression of the gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and impairs insulin signalling in muscle. Thus, RBP4 is an adipocyte-derived 'signal' that may contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Lowering RBP4 could be a new strategy for treating type 2 diabetes.     

Pancreatic amylin and calcitonin gene-related peptide cause resistance to insulin in skeletal muscle in vitro

Insulin resistance occurs in a variety of conditions, including diabetes, obesity and essential hypertension, but its underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. In type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, it is insulin-resistance in skeletal muscle, the chief site of insulin-mediated glucose disposal in humans, that predominantly accounts for the low rates of glucose clearance from the blood, and hence for impaired glucose tolerance. Human type 2 diabetes is characterized by a decrease in non-oxidative glucose storage (muscle glycogen synthesis), and by the deposition of amyloid in the islets of Langerhans. Amylin is a 37-amino-acid peptide which is a major component of islet amyloid and has structural similarity to human calcitonin gene-related peptide-2 (CGRP-2; ref. 8). CGRP is a neuropeptide which may be involved in motor activity in skeletal muscle. We now report that human pancreatic amylin and rat CGRP-1 are potent inhibitors of both basal and insulin-stimulated rates of glycogen synthesis in stripped rat soleus muscle in vitro. These results may provide a basis for a new understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.     

运动对肥胖大鼠胰岛素抵抗、血清瘦素及饮食量的影响

文章通过对肥胖大鼠进行10周的饮食监测以及游泳运动减肥,观察运动对肥胖大鼠饮食量和胰岛素抵抗、血清瘦素指标的影响。研究结果表明,一定时间的有规律运动不仅能对肥胖大鼠的饮食量产生一定的抑制作用,而且使得肥胖大鼠胰岛素抵抗指数和血清瘦素水平得到了有效降低。     

赶黄草多酚改善胰岛素抵抗的机制研究

为探究四川省道地药材赶黄草改善胰岛素抵抗的作用及其机制,以赶黄草茎乙酸乙酯相(PSE)作为研究材料,建立了3T3-L1脂肪细胞诱导分化模型.诱导脂肪细胞分化后,通过油红O、尼罗红染色和Western Blot等手段探究了脂肪细胞内脂滴积累以及脂肪酸合成关键酶和胰岛素抵抗相关蛋白的表达情况.结果表明诱导分化后的脂肪细胞内的脂滴含量比对照组前脂肪细胞有着显著地增加,赶黄草多酚治疗后可以明显抑制脂质积累.PSE可以激活PI3K-Akt/GSK-3β信号通路,上调p-ACC、CPT1a、PGC-1α和PPARα这些控制脂质分解和脂肪酸氧化的蛋白的表达,并下调CD36、FASn和SREBP1c调节脂质合成的蛋白.综上所述,PSE可以通过激活PI3K-Akt/GSK-3β信号通路改善胰岛素抵抗,同时,促进脂质分解,抑制脂肪合成.