Kynurenic Acid and Gpr35 Regulate Adipose Tissue Energy Homeostasis and Inflammation

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TBK1 at the Crossroads of Inflammation and Energy Homeostasis in Adipose Tissue

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COPI Complex Is a Regulator of Lipid Homeostasis

Lipid droplets are ubiquitous triglyceride and sterol ester storage organelles required for energy storage homeostasis and biosynthesis. Although little is known about lipid droplet formation and regulation, it is clear that members of the PAT (perilipin, adipocyte differentiation related protein, tail interacting protein of 47 kDa) protein family coat the droplet surface and mediate interactions with lipases that remobilize the stored lipids. We identified key Drosophila candidate genes for lipid droplet regulation by RNA interference (RNAi) screening with an image segmentation-based optical read-out system, and show that these regulatory functions are conserved in the mouse. Those include the vesicle-mediated Coat Protein Complex I (COPI) transport complex, which is required for limiting lipid storage. We found that COPI components regulate the PAT protein composition at the lipid droplet surface, and promote the association of adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL) with the lipid droplet surface to mediate lipolysis. Two compounds known to inhibit COPI function, Exo1 and Brefeldin A, phenocopy COPI knockdowns. Furthermore, RNAi inhibition of ATGL and simultaneous drug treatment indicate that COPI and ATGL function in the same pathway. These data indicate that the COPI complex is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of lipid homeostasis, and highlight an interaction between vesicle transport systems and lipid droplets.     

Mitochondrial p32 Protein Is a Critical Regulator of Tumor Metabolism via Maintenance of Oxidative Phosphorylation

p32/gC1qR/C1QBP/HABP1 is a mitochondrial/cell surface protein overexpressed in certain cancer cells. Here we show that knocking down p32 expression in human cancer cells strongly shifts their metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to glycolysis. The p32 knockdown cells exhibited reduced synthesis of the mitochondrial-DNA-encoded OXPHOS polypeptides and were less tumorigenic in vivo. Expression of exogenous p32 in the knockdown cells restored the wild-type cellular phenotype and tumorigenicity. Increased glucose consumption and lactate production, known as the Warburg effect, are almost universal hallmarks of solid tumors and are thought to favor tumor growth. However, here we show that a protein regularly overexpressed in some cancers is capable of promoting OXPHOS. Our results indicate that high levels of glycolysis, in the absence of adequate OXPHOS, may not be as beneficial for tumor growth as generally thought and suggest that tumor cells use p32 to regulate the balance between OXPHOS and glycolysis.Tumors can be distinguished from their nonmalignant counterparts by specific molecular signatures expressed in malignant cells and tumor vasculature. We explore such differences by identifying tumor-homing peptides from phage libraries that we screen in vivo (60). We recently showed (19) that the cellular receptor for one of our tumor-homing peptides is a protein variously known as p32, p33, gC1q receptor (gC1qR), or hyaluronic acid binding protein 1 (HABP1). This protein was originally isolated based on its copurification with the nuclear splicing factor SF-2 (37). However, it was subsequently shown to bind also the globular heads of complement component C1q (23), hyaluronic acid (10), and numerous other extracellular and intracellular proteins (24, 28, 33, 42). Most recently it has been shown that p32 interacts with the long and short forms of the tumor suppressor ARF (30, 56, 57). Despite the numerous reports on p32 interaction partners, the role of these binding activities in the physiological function of the protein is unknown, and some investigators have proposed that p32 may be a chaperone protein (58, 65).The p32 protein is primarily localized in the mitochondrial matrix (12, 46, 48) but has also been reported to be present in other subcellular locations (53). Some of the p32 protein can be at the cell surface, a location that appears to be specific for tumors (19). In this regard, p32 is similar to some other intracellular proteins that are also partially localized at the cell surface in tumor cells (8, 49). In addition to the partial cell surface localization of p32, many human tumors exhibit higher p32 expression levels than their nonmalignant counterpart tissues (7, 19, 52, 59). Moreover, p32 is differentially expressed during the progression of epidermal carcinoma, accumulating in metastatic islands (25).We set out to modulate p32 expression in tumor cells to gain information on the role of this protein in cancer. We show here that p32 knockdown cells shift their metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) toward glycolysis and become poorly tumorigenic. These changes could be reversed by restored expression of p32. These results show that p32 supports oxidative phosphorylation in human cancer cells and opposes the shift of tumor cell metabolism toward glycolysis. The unique expression pattern of p32 in tumors and its crucial role in tumor metabolism make p32 a promising target for tumor therapy. The fact that this protein is upregulated in tumors and counteracts glycolytic metabolism suggests that the role of the Warburg effect in tumor growth may not be as straightforward as is generally thought.     

Neuropeptide Y Is Produced by Adipose Tissue Macrophages and Regulates Obesity-Induced Inflammation

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is induced in peripheral tissues such as adipose tissue with obesity. The mechanism and function of NPY induction in fat are unclear. Given the evidence that NPY can modulate inflammation, we examined the hypothesis that NPY regulates the function of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) in response to dietary obesity in mice. NPY was induced by dietary obesity in the stromal vascular cells of visceral fat depots from mice. Surprisingly, the induction of Npy was limited to purified ATMs from obese mice. Significant basal production of NPY was observed in cultured bone marrow derived macrophage and dendritic cells (DCs) and was increased with LPS stimulation. In vitro, addition of NPY to myeloid cells had minimal effects on their activation profiles. NPY receptor inhibition promoted DC maturation and the production of IL-6 and TNFα suggesting an anti-inflammatory function for NPY signaling in DCs. Consistent with this, NPY injection into lean mice decreased the quantity of M1-like CD11c⁺ ATMs and suppressed Ly6c^hi monocytes. BM chimeras generated from Npy^−/− donors demonstrated that hematopoietic NPY contributes to the obesity-induced induction of Npy in fat. In addition, loss of Npy expression from hematopoietic cells led to an increase in CD11c⁺ ATMs in visceral fat with high fat diet feeding. Overall, our studies suggest that NPY is produced by a range of myeloid cells and that obesity activates the production of NPY in adipose tissue macrophages with autocrine and paracrine effects.     

糖皮质激素与脂肪代谢和胰岛素抵抗

内源性和外源性糖皮质激素过多会导致胰岛素抵抗和发展为糖尿病.糖皮质激素增加循环中葡萄糖、胰岛素和游离脂肪酸(FFA)浓度.循环中FFA增高与肥胖、胰岛素抵抗和2型糖尿病密切相关,其主要来源于脂肪细胞内甘油三酯水解.糖皮质激素刺激脂肪分解、增加FFA构成了激素导致胰岛素抵抗的重要机制之一.     

Club Cell TRPV4 Serves as a Damage Sensor Driving Lung Allergic Inflammation

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MicroRNA-22 Is a Master Regulator of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7/6 Homeostasis in the Kidney

Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to a myriad of kidney diseases. However, the regulatory role of miRNAs on the key molecules implicated in kidney fibrosis remains poorly understood. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) and its related BMP-6 have recently emerged as key regulators of kidney fibrosis. Using the established unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model of kidney fibrosis as our experimental model, we examined the regulatory role of miRNAs on BMP-7/6 signaling. By analyzing the potential miRNAs that target BMP-7/6 in silica, we identified miR-22 as a potent miRNA targeting BMP-7/6. We found that expression levels of BMP-7/6 were significantly elevated in the kidneys of the miR-22 null mouse. Importantly, mice with targeted deletion of miR-22 exhibited attenuated renal fibrosis in the UUO model. Consistent with these in vivo observations, primary renal fibroblast isolated from miR-22-deficient UUO mice demonstrated a significant increase in BMP-7/6 expression and their downstream targets. This phenotype could be rescued when cells were transfected with miR-22 mimics. Interestingly, we found that miR-22 and BMP-7/6 are in a regulatory feedback circuit, whereby not only miR-22 inhibits BMP-7/6, but miR-22 by itself is induced by BMP-7/6. Finally, we identified two BMP-responsive elements in the proximal region of miR-22 promoter. These findings identify miR-22 as a critical miRNA that contributes to renal fibrosis on the basis of its pivotal role on BMP signaling cascade.     

AMPK,a Regulator of Metabolism and Autophagy,Is Activated by Lysosomal Damage via a Novel Galectin-Directed Ubiquitin Signal Transduction System

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Visceral Adipose Tissue Immune Homeostasis Is Regulated by the Crosstalk between Adipocytes and Dendritic Cell Subsets

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