Project description:In order to facilitate inter-tissue communication and exchange of proteins, lipoproteins, and metabolites with the circulation, hepatocytes have an intricate and efficient intracellular trafficking system regulated by small Rab GTPases. Rab30, a putative Golgi-localized Rab GTPase, is induced in the mouse liver by fasting and its expression is further amplified in liver-specific carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 knockout mice (Cpt2L-/-) that lack the ability to oxidize fatty acids in a Pparα-dependent manner. Live-cell super-resolution imaging and biochemical in vivo proximity labeling demonstrated that Rab30-marked vesicles are highly dynamic and interact with proteins throughout the secretory pathway. Rab30 whole-body, liver-specific, and Rab30;Cpt2 liver-specific double knockout (DKO) mice are viable and display intact Golgi ultrastructure. However, the loss of Rab30 in Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice suppresses serum dyslipidemia observed in Cpt2L-/- single knockout mice. Corresponding with decreased serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice exhibit decreased circulating but not hepatic ApoA4 protein, indicative of a trafficking defect. Together, these data suggest a role for Rab30 in the selective sorting of lipoproteins to influence hepatocyte and circulating triglyceride levels particularly during times of excessive lipid burden
Project description:Macroautophagy/autophagy is a central mechanism by which cells maintain integrity and homeostasis, and endotoxin-induced autophagy plays important roles in innate immunity. Although TLR4 stimulation mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) also upregulates autophagy in hepatocytes and liver, its physiological role remains elusive. The objective of this study was to determine the role of LPS-induced autophagy in the regulation of liver lipid metabolism. LPS treatment (5 mg/kg) increased autophagy, as detected by LC3 conversion and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis in C57BL6 mouse livers. AC2F hepatocytes also showed increased autophagic flux after LPS treatment (1 μg/ml). To investigate the role of LPS-induced autophagy further, liver lipid metabolism changes in LPS-treated mice and fasted controls were compared. Interestingly, LPS-treated mice showed less lipid accumulation in liver than fasted mice despite increased fatty acid uptake and lipid synthesis-associated genes. In vitro analysis using AC2F hepatocytes demonstrated LPS-induced autophagy influenced the degradation of lipid droplets. Inhibition of LPS-induced autophagy using bafilomycin A1 or Atg7 knockdown significantly increased lipid accumulation in AC2F hepatocytes. In addition, pretreatment with chloroquine aggravated LPS-induced lipid accumulation and inflammation in C57BL6 mouse livers. The physiological importance of autophagy was verified in LPS-treated young and aged rats. Autophagic response was diminished in LPS-treated aged rats and lipid metabolism was impaired during sepsis, indicating autophagy response is important for regulating lipid metabolism after endotoxin challenge. Our findings demonstrate endotoxin-induced autophagy is important for the regulation of lipid metabolism, and suggest that autophagy helps maintain lipid metabolism homeostasis during sepsis.
Project description:In order to facilitate inter-tissue communication and exchange of proteins, lipoproteins, and metabolites with the circulation, hepatocytes have an intricate and efficient intracellular trafficking system regulated by small Rab GTPases. Rab30, a putative Golgi-localized Rab GTPase, is induced in the mouse liver by fasting and its expression is further amplified in liver-specific carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 knockout mice (Cpt2L-/-) that lack the ability to oxidize fatty acids in a Pparα-dependent manner. Live-cell super-resolution imaging and biochemical in vivo proximity labeling demonstrated that Rab30-marked vesicles are highly dynamic and interact with proteins throughout the secretory pathway. Rab30 whole-body, liver-specific, and Rab30;Cpt2 liver-specific double knockout (DKO) mice are viable and display intact Golgi ultrastructure. However, the loss of Rab30 in Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice suppresses serum dyslipidemia observed in Cpt2L-/- single knockout mice. Corresponding with decreased serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice exhibit decreased circulating but not hepatic ApoA4 protein, indicative of a trafficking defect. Together, these data suggest a role for Rab30 in the selective sorting of lipoproteins to influence hepatocyte and circulating triglyceride levels particularly during times of excessive lipid burden.
Project description:In order to facilitate inter-tissue communication and exchange of proteins, lipoproteins, and metabolites with the circulation, hepatocytes have an intricate and efficient intracellular trafficking system regulated by small Rab GTPases. Rab30, a putative Golgi-localized Rab GTPase, is induced in the mouse liver by fasting and its expression is further amplified in liver-specific carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 knockout mice (Cpt2L-/-) that lack the ability to oxidize fatty acids in a Pparα-dependent manner. Live-cell super-resolution imaging and biochemical in vivo proximity labeling demonstrated that Rab30-marked vesicles are highly dynamic and interact with proteins throughout the secretory pathway. Rab30 whole-body, liver-specific, and Rab30;Cpt2 liver-specific double knockout (DKO) mice are viable and display intact Golgi ultrastructure. However, the loss of Rab30 in Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice suppresses serum dyslipidemia observed in Cpt2L-/- single knockout mice. Corresponding with decreased serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, Rab30;Cpt2 DKO mice exhibit decreased circulating but not hepatic ApoA4 protein, indicative of a trafficking defect. Together, these data suggest a role for Rab30 in the selective sorting of lipoproteins to influence hepatocyte and circulating triglyceride levels particularly during times of excessive lipid burden.
Project description:Though biallelic variants in SLC13A5 are known to cause severe encephalopathy, the mechanism of this disease is poorly understood. SLC13A5 protein deficiency reduces citrate transport into the cell. Downstream abnormalities in fatty acid synthesis and energy generation have been described, though biochemical signs of these perturbations are inconsistent across SLC13A5 deficiency patients. To investigate SLC13A5-related disorders, we performed untargeted metabolic analyses on the liver, brain, and serum from a Slc13a5-deficient mouse model. Metabolomic data were analyzed using the connect-the-dots (CTD) methodology and were compared to plasma and CSF metabolomics from SLC13A5-deficient patients. Mice homozygous for the Slc13a5tm1b/tm1b null allele had perturbations in fatty acids, bile acids, and energy metabolites in all tissues examined. Further analyses demonstrated that for several of these molecules, the ratio of their relative tissue concentrations differed widely in the knockout mouse, suggesting that deficiency of Slc13a5 impacts the biosynthesis and flux of metabolites between tissues. Similar findings were observed in patient biofluids, indicating altered transport and/or flux of molecules involved in energy, fatty acid, nucleotide, and bile acid metabolism. Deficiency of SLC13A5 likely causes a broader state of metabolic dysregulation than previously recognized, particularly regarding lipid synthesis, storage, and metabolism, supporting SLC13A5 deficiency as a lipid disorder.
Project description:Background: The ERGO2 (Ernaehrungsumstellung bei Patienten mit Rezidiv eines Glioblastoms) MR-spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) subtrial investigated metabolism in patients randomized to calorically restricted ketogenic diet/intermittent fasting (crKD-IF) versus standard diet (SD) in addition to re-irradiation (RT) for recurrent malignant glioma. Intracerebral concentrations of ketone bodies (KB), intracellular pH (pHi), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were non-invasively determined. Methods: 50 patients were randomized (1:1): Group A keeping a crKD-IF for nine days, and Group B a SD. RT was performed on day 4-8. Twenty-three patients received an extended MRSI-protocol (1H decoupled 31P MRSI with 3D chemical shift imaging (CSI) and 2D 1H point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS)) at a 3T scanner at baseline and on day 6. Voxels were selected from the area of recurrent tumor and contralateral hemisphere. Spectra were analyzed with LCModel, adding simulated signals of 3-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB), acetone (Acn) and acetoacetate (AcAc) to the standard basis set. Results: Acn was the only reliably MRSI-detectable KB within tumor tissue and/or normal appearing white matter (NAWM). It was detected in 4/11 patients in Group A and in 0/8 patients in Group B. MRSI results showed no significant depletion of ATP in tumor tissue of patients at day 6 during crKD-IF, even though there were a significant difference in ketone serum levels between Group A and B at day 6 and a decline in fasting glucose in Group A from baseline to day 6. The tumor specific alkaline pHi was maintained. Conclusions: Our metabolic findings suggest that tumor cells maintain energy homeostasis even with reduced serum glucose levels and may generate additional ATP through other sources.
Project description:Liver is a major regulator of lipid metabolism and adaptation to fasting, a process involving PPARalpha activation. We recently showed that the Vnn1 gene is a PPARalpha target gene in liver and that release of the Vanin-1 pantetheinase in serum is a biomarker of PPARalpha activation. Here we set up a screen to identify new regulators of adaptation to fasting using the serum Vanin-1 as a marker of PPARalpha activation. Mutagenized mice were screened for low serum Vanin-1 expression. Functional interactions with PPARalpha were investigated by combining transcriptomic, biochemical and metabolic approaches. We characterized a new mutant mouse in which hepatic and serum expression of Vanin-1 is depressed. This mouse carries a mutation in the HMG domain of the Sox17 transcription factor. Mutant mice display a metabolic phenotype featuring lipid abnormalities and inefficient adaptation to fasting. Upon fasting, a fraction of the PPARα-driven transcriptional program is no longer induced and associated with impaired fatty acid oxidation. The transcriptional phenotype is partially observed in heterozygous Sox17+/- mice. In mutant mice, the fasting phenotype but not all transcriptomic signature is rescued by the administration of the PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate. These results identify a novel role for Sox17 in adult liver as a modulator of the metabolic adaptation to fasting.
Project description:Ceramide is an important lipid signaling molecule that plays critical roles in regulating cell behavior. Ceramide synthesis is surprisingly complex and is orchestrated by six mammalian ceramide synthases, each of which produces ceramides with restricted acyl chain lengths. We have generated a CerS2 null mouse and characterized the changes in the long chain base and sphingolipid composition of livers from these mice. Ceramide and downstream sphingolipids were devoid of very long (C22-C24) acyl chains, consistent with the substrate specificity of CerS2 toward acyl-CoAs. Unexpectedly, C16-ceramide levels were elevated, and as a result, total ceramide levels were unaltered; however, C16-ceramide synthesis in vitro was not increased. Levels of sphinganine were also significantly elevated, by up to 50-fold, reminiscent of the effect of the ceramide synthase inhibitor, fumonisin B1. With the exceptions of glucosylceramide synthase and neutral sphingomyelinase 2, none of the other enzymes tested in either the sphingolipid biosynthetic or degradative pathways were significantly changed. Total glycerophospholipid and cholesterol levels were unaltered, although there was a marked elevation in C18:1 and C18:2 fatty acids in phosphatidylethanolamine, concomitant with a reduction in C18:0 and C20:4 fatty acids. Finally, differences were observed in the biophysical properties of lipid extracts isolated from liver microsomes, with membranes from CerS2 null mice displaying higher membrane fluidity and showing morphological changes. Together, these results demonstrate novel modes of cross-talk and regulation between the various branches of lipid metabolic pathways upon inhibition of very long acyl chain ceramide synthesis.
Project description:BackgroundEnergy metabolism in proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) is unique, because ATP production largely depends on lipolysis in both the fed and fasting states. Furthermore, disruption of renal lipolysis is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic tubulopathy. Emerging evidence suggests that protein O-GlcNAcylation, an intracellular nutrient-sensing system, may regulate a number of metabolic pathways according to changes in nutritional status. Although O-GlcNAcylation in PTECs has been demonstrated experimentally, its precise role in lipolysis in PTECs is unclear.MethodsTo investigate the mechanism of renal lipolysis in PTECs-specifically, the role played by protein O-GlcNAcylation-we generated mice with PTECs deficient in O-GlcNAc transferase (Ogt). We analyzed their renal phenotypes during ad libitum feeding, after prolonged fasting, and after mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks to induce obesity and diabetes.ResultsAlthough PTEC-specific Ogt-deficient mice lacked a marked renal phenotype during ad libitum feeding, after fasting 48 hours, they developed Fanconi syndrome-like abnormalities, PTEC apoptosis, and lower rates of renal lipolysis and ATP production. Proteomic analysis suggested that farnesoid X receptor-dependent upregulation of carboxylesterase-1 is involved in O-GlcNAcylation's regulation of lipolysis in fasted PTECs. PTEC-specific Ogt-deficient mice with diabetes induced by a high-fat diet developed severe tubular cell damage and enhanced lipotoxicity.ConclusionsProtein O-GlcNAcylation is essential for renal lipolysis during prolonged fasting and offers PTECs significant protection against lipotoxicity in diabetes.