Project description:Over 40 % of microRNAs are located in introns of coding genes, and many intronic microRNAs are co-regulated with their host genes. In such cases of co-regulation, the products of host genes and their intronic microRNAs can cooperate to coordinately regulate biologically important pathways. Therefore, we screened intronic microRNAs dysregulated in liver of obese mouse models to identify previously uncharacterized coding host genes that may contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-associated insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Our approach identified that expression of both Ectodysplasin A (Eda), the causal gene of X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED; MIM 305100) and its intronic microRNA, miR-676, was strongly increased in liver of obese mouse models. Moreover, hepatic EDA expression is increased in obese human subjects, reduced upon weight loss, and its hepatic expression correlates with systemic insulin resistance. Eda expression in murine liver is controlled via PPARg activation, increases in circulation and promotes JNK activation and inhibitory serine phosphorylation of IRS1 in skeletal muscle. Consistently, bi-directional modulation of hepatic Eda expression in mouse models affects systemic glucose metabolism with alterations of muscle insulin signaling, revealing a novel role of EDA as an obesity-associated hepatokine, which impairs insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle.
Project description:Muscle atrophy is a physiological response to disuse and malnutrition, but hibernating bears are largely resistant to this phenomenon. Unlike other mammals, they efficiently reabsorb amino acids from urine, periodically activate muscle contraction, and their adipocytes differentially responds to insulin. The contribution of myocytes to the reduced atrophy remains largely unknown. Here we show how metabolism and atrophy signaling are regulated in skeletal muscle of hibernating grizzly bear.
Project description:Insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake is a key process to alleviate hyperglycemia. This process depends on the redistribution of glucose transporters to the muscle surface membrane following phosphorylation of TBC1D1 and TBC1D4. Genetic evidence from a TBC1D4 loss-of-function mutation in human skeletal muscle is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, little is known about the potential regulating interactors of TBC1D4 in skeletal muscle. Here, we sought to identify interactors of TBC1D4 in human skeletal muscle by an unbiased proteomics approach. We detected 76 proteins as candidate TBC1D4 interactors, whereof 12 were regulated by insulin stimulation including known proteins involved in glucose metabolism (e.g. 14-3-3 proteins and ACTN4). TBC1D1 also co-precipitated with TBC1D4 and vice versa in both human and mouse skeletal muscle. This interaction was not regulated by insulin or exercise in young healthy lean individuals. In contrast, we observed an altered interaction as well as compromised insulin-stimulated phospho-regulation of the TBC1D1-TBC1D4 complex in muscle of obese individuals with T2D. In conclusion, we provide a list of TBC1D4 interactors in human and mouse skeletal muscle. These protein interactors serve as potential regulators of TBC1D4 function and thus insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.
Project description:Type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders. It is characterised by insulin resistance in peripheral tissues. Skeletal muscle is one of the tissues that affect by insulin resistance. Therefore, the study aims to identify differentially regulated genes in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetes patients. Here, we obtained biopsies from the pectoralis major muscle and performed RNA sequencing to profile the gene expression patterns from four patients with diabetes and three healthy controls.