Effect of High Sugar Intake on Glucose Transporter and Weight Regulating Hormones in Mice and Humans

Objective

Sugar consumption has increased dramatically over the last decades in Western societies. Especially the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages seems to be a major risk for the development of obesity. Thus, we compared liquid versus solid high-sugar diets with regard to dietary intake, intestinal uptake and metabolic parameters in mice and partly in humans.

Methods

Five iso-caloric diets, enriched with liquid (in water 30% vol/vol) or solid (in diet 65% g/g) fructose or sucrose or a control diet were fed for eight weeks to C57bl/6 mice. Sugar, liquid and caloric intake, small intestinal sugar transporters (GLUT2/5) and weight regulating hormone mRNA expression, as well as hepatic fat accumulation were measured. In obese versus lean humans that underwent either bariatric surgery or small bowel resection, we analyzed small intestinal GLUT2, GLUT5, and cholecystokinin expression.

Results

In mice, the liquid high-sucrose diet caused an enhancement of total caloric intake compared to the solid high-sucrose diet and the control diet. In addition, the liquid high-sucrose diet increased expression of GLUT2, GLUT5, and cholecystokinin expression in the ileum (P<0.001). Enhanced liver triglyceride accumulation was observed in mice being fed the liquid high-sucrose or -fructose, and the solid high-sucrose diet compared to controls. In obese, GLUT2 and GLUT5 mRNA expression was enhanced in comparison to lean individuals.

Conclusions

We show that the form of sugar intake (liquid versus solid) is presumably more important than the type of sugar, with regard to feeding behavior, intestinal sugar uptake and liver fat accumulation in mice. Interestingly, in obese individuals, an intestinal sugar transporter modulation also occurred when compared to lean individuals.     

DCC Is Required for the Development of Nociceptive Topognosis in Mice and Humans

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Novel Antibodies Reactive with Sialyl Lewis X in Both Humans and Mice Define Its Critical Role in Leukocyte Trafficking and Contact Hypersensitivity Responses

Sialyl Lewis X (sLe^x) antigen functions as a common carbohydrate determinant recognized by all three members of the selectin family. However, its expression and function in mice remain undefined due to the poor reactivity of conventional anti-sLe^x monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with mouse tissues. Here, we developed novel anti-sLe^x mAbs, termed F1 and F2, which react well with both human and mouse sLe^x, by immunizing fucosyltransferase (FucT)-IV and FucT-VII doubly deficient mice with 6-sulfo-sLe^x-expressing cells transiently transfected with an expression vector encoding CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase. F1 and F2 specifically bound both the N-acetyl and the N-glycolyl forms of sLe^x as well as 6-sulfo-sLe^x, a major ligand for L-selectin expressed in high endothelial venules, and efficiently blocked physiological lymphocyte homing to lymph nodes in mice. Importantly, both of the mAbs inhibited contact hypersensitivity responses not only when administered in the L-selectin-dependent sensitization phase but also when administered in the elicitation phase in mice. When administered in the latter phase, F1 and F2 efficiently blocked rolling of mouse leukocytes along blood vessels expressing P- and E-selectin in the auricular skin in vivo. Consistent with these findings, the mAbs blocked P- and E-selectin-dependent leukocyte rolling in a flow chamber assay. Taken together, these results indicate that novel anti-sLe^x mAbs reactive with both human and mouse tissues, with the blocking ability against leukocyte trafficking mediated by all three selectins, have been established. These mAbs should be useful in determining the role of sLe^x antigen under physiological and pathological conditions.     

A Novel Role for MAPKAPK2 in Morphogenesis during Zebrafish Development

One of the earliest morphogenetic processes in the development of many animals is epiboly. In the zebrafish, epiboly ensues when the animally localized blastoderm cells spread, thin over, and enclose the vegetally localized yolk. Only a few factors are known to function in this fundamental process. We identified a maternal-effect mutant, betty boop (bbp), which displays a novel defect in epiboly, wherein the blastoderm margin constricts dramatically, precisely when half of the yolk cell is covered by the blastoderm, causing the yolk cell to burst. Whole-blastoderm transplants and mRNA microinjection rescue demonstrate that Bbp functions in the yolk cell to regulate epiboly. We positionally cloned the maternal-effect bbp mutant gene and identified it as the zebrafish homolog of the serine-threonine kinase Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Activated Protein Kinase 2, or MAPKAPK2, which was not previously known to function in embryonic development. We show that the regulation of MAPKAPK2 is conserved and p38 MAP kinase functions upstream of MAPKAPK2 in regulating epiboly in the zebrafish embryo. Dramatic alterations in calcium dynamics, together with the massive marginal constrictive force observed in bbp mutants, indicate precocious constriction of an F-actin network within the yolk cell, which first forms at 50% epiboly and regulates epiboly progression. We show that MAPKAPK2 activity and its regulator p38 MAPK function in the yolk cell to regulate the process of epiboly, identifying a new pathway regulating this cell movement process. We postulate that a p38 MAPKAPK2 kinase cascade modulates the activity of F-actin at the yolk cell margin circumference allowing the gradual closure of the blastopore as epiboly progresses.     

The Role of Abcb5 Alleles in Susceptibility to Haloperidol-Induced Toxicity in Mice and Humans

Background

We know very little about the genetic factors affecting susceptibility to drug-induced central nervous system (CNS) toxicities, and this has limited our ability to optimally utilize existing drugs or to develop new drugs for CNS disorders. For example, haloperidol is a potent dopamine antagonist that is used to treat psychotic disorders, but 50% of treated patients develop characteristic extrapyramidal symptoms caused by haloperidol-induced toxicity (HIT), which limits its clinical utility. We do not have any information about the genetic factors affecting this drug-induced toxicity. HIT in humans is directly mirrored in a murine genetic model, where inbred mouse strains are differentially susceptible to HIT. Therefore, we genetically analyzed this murine model and performed a translational human genetic association study.

Methods and Findings

A whole genome SNP database and computational genetic mapping were used to analyze the murine genetic model of HIT. Guided by the mouse genetic analysis, we demonstrate that genetic variation within an ABC-drug efflux transporter (Abcb5) affected susceptibility to HIT. In situ hybridization results reveal that Abcb5 is expressed in brain capillaries, and by cerebellar Purkinje cells. We also analyzed chromosome substitution strains, imaged haloperidol abundance in brain tissue sections and directly measured haloperidol (and its metabolite) levels in brain, and characterized Abcb5 knockout mice. Our results demonstrate that Abcb5 is part of the blood-brain barrier; it affects susceptibility to HIT by altering the brain concentration of haloperidol. Moreover, a genetic association study in a haloperidol-treated human cohort indicates that human ABCB5 alleles had a time-dependent effect on susceptibility to individual and combined measures of HIT. Abcb5 alleles are pharmacogenetic factors that affect susceptibility to HIT, but it is likely that additional pharmacogenetic susceptibility factors will be discovered.

Conclusions

ABCB5 alleles alter susceptibility to HIT in mouse and humans. This discovery leads to a new model that (at least in part) explains inter-individual differences in susceptibility to a drug-induced CNS toxicity.     

NYD-SP15: A Novel Gene Potentially Involved in Regulating Testicular Development and Spermatogenesis

By hybridizing human adult testis cDNA microarrays with human adult and embryo testis cDNA probes, we identified a novel human testis gene, NYD-SP15. NYD-SP15 expression was 3.26-fold higher in adult than in fetal testis; however, there was almost no NYD-SP15 expression in the sperm. NYD-SP15 comprises 3364 base pairs, including a 1545 bp open reading frame encoding a 514 amino acid protein possessing 89% sequence identity with the mouse testis homologous protein. NYD-SP15 is located on human chromosome 13q14.2. The deduced structure of the protein contains two dCMP_cyt_deam domains, indicating a potential functional role for zinc ion binding. The gene is expressed variably in a wide range of tissues, with high expression levels in the testis. Sequence analysis revealed that NYD-SP15 is not a highly conserved protein, with its distribution in high-level species such as vertebrates including Homo, Mus, Rattus, and Canis. The results of semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction in mouse testis representing different developmental stages indicate that NYD-SP15 expression was developmentally regulated. These results suggest the putative NYD-SP15 protein may play an important role in testicular development and spermatogenesis and may be an important factor governing male infertility. These authors contributed equally to this work     

人促血小板生成素在转基因小鼠乳腺中定位表达的研究(英文)

通过转基因动物乳腺生物反应器大规模生产药用蛋白质已成为现代生物技术新的生长点之一。为研制表达人促血小板生成素的哺乳动物生物反应器的转基因小鼠模型,本论文以小鼠乳清酸蛋白 (mWAP) 基因5挾说骺厍团-s1-酪蛋白基因3挾说骺厍魑鹘谠菇擞糜诒泶锶舜傺“迳伤氐娜橄僮橹匾煨员泶镌靥錺WAPTPO(Fig.1)。通过常规显微注射的方法把mWAP启动子指导的hTPO表达载体导入小鼠受精卵,获得出生小鼠16只。经PCR检测,有6只为转基因阳性(Fig.2)。G0代小鼠中转基因整合率为37.5% (6/16),用ELISA方法在G0代转基因雌鼠的乳汁中检测了促血小板生成素的表达,表达量在0.8 mg/mL以上(Table 1)。这些结果表明我们已建立了乳腺表达hTPO 的转基因小鼠模型,为以后大型家畜乳腺生物反应器的研制提供了科学依据。     

A Novel Role for Protein Kinase Kin2 in Regulating HAC1 mRNA Translocation,Splicing, and Translation

A signaling network called the unfolded protein response (UPR) resolves the protein-folding defects in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) from yeasts to humans. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the UPR activation involves (i) aggregation of the ER-resident kinase/RNase Ire1 to form an Ire1 focus, (ii) targeting HAC1 pre-mRNA toward the Ire1 focus that cleaves out an inhibitory intron from the mRNA, and (iii) translation of Hac1 protein from the spliced mRNA. Targeting HAC1 mRNA to the Ire1 focus requires a cis-acting bipartite element (3′BE) located at the 3′ untranslated leader. Here, we report that the 3′BE plays an additional role in promoting translation from the spliced mRNA. We also report that a high dose of either of two paralogue kinases, Kin1 and Kin2, overcomes the defective UPR caused by a mutation in the 3′BE. These results define a novel role for Kin kinases in the UPR beyond their role in cell polarity and exocytosis. Consistently, targeting, splicing, and translation of HAC1 mRNA are substantially reduced in the kin1Δ kin2Δ strain. Furthermore, we show that Kin2 kinase domain itself is sufficient to activate the UPR, suggesting that Kin2 initiates a signaling cascade to ensure an optimum UPR.     

A Role for the Membrane in Regulating Chlamydomonas Flagellar Length

Flagellar assembly requires coordination between the assembly of axonemal proteins and the assembly of the flagellar membrane and membrane proteins. Fully grown steady-state Chlamydomonas flagella release flagellar vesicles from their tips and failure to resupply membrane should affect flagellar length. To study vesicle release, plasma and flagellar membrane surface proteins were vectorially pulse-labeled and flagella and vesicles were analyzed for biotinylated proteins. Based on the quantity of biotinylated proteins in purified vesicles, steady-state flagella appeared to shed a minimum of 16% of their surface membrane per hour, equivalent to a complete flagellar membrane being released every 6 hrs or less. Brefeldin-A destroyed Chlamydomonas Golgi, inhibited the secretory pathway, inhibited flagellar regeneration, and induced full-length flagella to disassemble within 6 hrs, consistent with flagellar disassembly being induced by a failure to resupply membrane. In contrast to membrane lipids, a pool of biotinylatable membrane proteins was identified that was sufficient to resupply flagella as they released vesicles for 6 hrs in the absence of protein synthesis and to support one and nearly two regenerations of flagella following amputation. These studies reveal the importance of the secretory pathway to assemble and maintain full-length flagella.