Adrenergic regulation of adipocyte metabolism

Adipocytes can be readily isolated from intact adipose tissue. In adipocytes from hamster and human white adipose tissue it is possible to demonstrate beta, alpha 1, and alpha 2 adrenoceptors. Alpha 2 adrenoceptor activation inhibits while beta adrenoceptor activation stimulates cyclic AMP accumulation and lipolysis. The effects of catecholamines on cyclic AMP accumulation are mediated through regulation of adenylate cyclase activity, which is activated through beta adrenoceptors and inhibited through alpha 2 adrenoceptors. Activation of alpha 1 adrenergic receptors has been shown to be associated with elevations of cytosol calcium and increased turnover of phosphatidylinositol. In white adipocytes, the only known alpha 1 adrenergic effects are inhibition of glycogen synthase and stimulation of glycogen phosphorylase via mechanisms distinct from those by which cyclic AMP produces similar end effects. In brown adipocytes, alpha 1 adrenoceptor activation stimulates respiration. Thyroid hormones primarily regulate the sensitivity of adipocytes to beta-adrenergic amines while having little effect on alpha adrenoceptor sensitivity.     

Adherence modifies the regulation of gene expression induced by interleukin-10

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a well known anti-inflammatory cytokine. However, we previously showed that it could present pro-inflammatory properties on human monocytes in the absence of adherence. In the present study, using macroarray technology, we analyzed the effects of IL-10 and adherence on the expression of 1050 genes in human monocytes cultured for 3 hours on plastic or Teflon(R) (to avoid adherence). Adherence alone induced specifically the expression of 12 genes and repressed that of 25 genes. In adherent monocytes, IL-10 induced the expression of 21 genes and repressed that of 50 genes. In non-adherent monocytes, IL-10 induced the expression of 45 genes and repressed that of 67. Only 3 common genes were induced while 35 common genes were repressed by IL-10 in the two culture conditions. Interestingly, we showed that IL-10 modulated conversely on Teflon(R) and plastic the expression of 16 genes, of which SOCS molecules, coproporphyrinogen oxidase, matrix metalloproteinases and complement receptor-1 (CD35). This study demonstrates that adherence has profound modulatory effects on the properties and the signaling induced by IL-10. The discovery that IL-10 can inhibit the production of coproporphyrinogen oxidase (an enzyme involved in the synthesis of heme) may shed some lights on the mechanisms of anaemia induced by IL-10. Furthermore, the inhibition of the expression of SOCS1 by IL-10 in the absence of adherence, may explain its priming effects on a subsequent LPS stimulation that we previously described.     

Central nervous system regulation of adipocyte metabolism

The white adipose tissue was initially largely known only as an energy storage tissue. It is now well recognized that white adipose tissue is a major endocrine and secretory organ, which releases a wide range of protein signals and factors termed adipokines. The regulation of adipocyte metabolism is an important factor for the understanding of obesity, and some mechanisms are still unknown. Many homeostatic processes, including appetite and food intake, are controlled by neuroendocrine circuits involving the central nervous system. There is substantial evidence demonstrating that the central nervous system also directly regulates adipocyte metabolism. In this review, we discuss the central actions of some peptides with an important role in energy balance regulation on adipocyte metabolism and the physiological relevance of these actions.     

Avian SERPINB11 gene: characteristics, tissue-specific expression, and regulation of expression by estrogen

Serpins, a group of proteins with similar structural and functional properties, were first identified based on their unique mechanism of action: their inhibition of proteases. While most serpins have inhibitory roles, certain serpins are not involved in canonical proteolytic cascades but perform diverse functions including storage of ovalbumin in egg white, transport of hormones (thyroxine- and cortisol-binding globulin), and suppression of tumors. Of these, serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade B, member 11 (SERPINB11) is not an inhibitor of known proteases in humans and mice, and its function is unknown. In the present study, the SERPINB11 gene was cloned, and its expression profile was analyzed in various tissues from chickens. The chicken SERPINB11 gene has an open reading frame of 1346 nucleotides that encode a protein of 388 amino acids that has moderate homology (38.8%-42.3%) to mammalian SERPINB11 proteins. Importantly, SERPINB11 mRNA is most abundant in the chicken oviduct, specifically luminal and glandular epithelia, but it was not detected in any other chicken tissues of either sex. We then determined effects of diethylstilbestrol (DES; a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen) on SERPINB11 expression in the chicken oviduct. Treatment of young chicks with DES induced SERPINB11 mRNA and protein only in luminal and glandular epithelial cells of the oviduct. Collectively, these results indicate that the novel estrogen-induced SERPINB11 gene is expressed only in epithelial cells of the chicken oviduct and implicate SERPINB11 in regulation of oviduct development and differentiated functions.     

Differentiation-dependent expression of the brown adipocyte uncoupling protein gene: regulation by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.

Uncoupling protein (UCP) is expressed only in brown adipocytes and is responsible for the unique thermogenic properties of this cell type. The novel brown preadipocyte cell line, HIB-1B, expresses UCP in a strictly differentiation-dependent manner. Transgenic mice studies have shown that a region from kb -2.8 to -1.0 of the marine UCP gene is required for brown adipocyte-specific expression. Subsequent analysis identified a potent 220-bp enhancer from kb -2.5 to -2.3. We show that this enhancer is active only in differentiated HIB-1B adipocytes, and we identify a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) response element, referred to as UCP regulatory element 1 (URE1), within the enhancer. URE1 has differentiation-dependent enhancing activity in HIB-1B cells and is required for enhancer action, since mutations of URE1 that block protein binding abolish enhancer activity. We also show that PPAR gamma antibodies block binding to URE1 of nuclear extracts from cultured brown adipocytes and from the brown adipose tissue of cold-exposed mice. Protein binding to URE1 increases substantially during differentiation of HIB-1B preadipocytes, and PPAR-gamma mRNA levels increase correspondingly. Although forced expression of PPAR gamma and retinoid X receptor alpha activates the enhancer in HIB-1B preadipocytes, these receptors are not capable of activating the enhancer in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Our results show that PPAR gamma is a regulator of the differentiation-dependent expression of UCP and suggest that there are additional factors in HIB-1B cells required for brown adipocyte-specific UCP expression.     

低氧对脂肪细胞发育及脂质代谢调控研究进展

脂肪细胞的生长、分化与增殖贯穿整个生命过程,脂肪细胞中脂质代谢紊乱影响脂肪组织免疫和全身能量代谢。脂质代谢参与调控机体多种疾病的发生与发展,如高脂血症、非酒精性脂肪肝病、糖尿病和癌症等,对人和动物健康具有重大威胁。低氧诱导因子（hypoxia inducible factor,HIF）是介导机体组织器官中氧感受器的主要转录因子,HIF可调控脂质合成、脂肪酸代谢和脂滴形成并诱导疾病发生。但由于低氧程度、时间和作用方式的不同,对机体脂肪细胞发育和脂质代谢产生有害或有益的影响还无从定论。本文总结了低氧介导转录因子的调控作用以及对脂肪细胞发育和脂质代谢调控的研究进展,旨在揭示低氧诱导脂肪细胞代谢途径变化的潜在机制。     

人促红细胞生成素的表达调控

人促红细胞生成素是控制红细胞生长发育的一种重要的细胞因子,在人体内具发育阶段异性、分泌的诱导性等特点,是研究真核基因表达的理想模型。本文从细胞水平的调控、基因结构以及基因３′和５′侧翼序列的调控元件对人促红细胞生成素表达的影响作用进行了讨论。     

Gene expression regulation of adipocyte differentiation: cell cycle and hormones

The adipose conversion of cultured preadipose cells involves the activation of numerous genes and is controlled by various adipogenic and mitogenic factors. The differentiation program can be divided into early and late events. Early events are triggered by growth arrest at the G1/S boundary and characterized by the activation of a set of genes (pOb24, lipoprotein lipase, etc.). The expression of the terminal differentiation-related genes takes place after a limited growth resumption of early markers containing cells and requires the presence of permissive hormones (growth hormone and triiodothyronine). Insulin acts solely as a modulator in the expression of the terminal differentiation-related genes. In vivo studies suggest that the acquisition of new adipocytes might result from terminal differentiation of dormant, already committed (pOb24 positive) cells when exposed to appropriate mitogenic or adipogenic stimuli.     

The adipocyte: a model for integration of endocrine and metabolic signaling in energy metabolism regulation

The ability to ensure continuous availability of energy despite highly variable supplies in the environment is a major determinant of the survival of all species. In higher organisms, including mammals, the capacity to efficiently store excess energy as triglycerides in adipocytes, from which stored energy could be rapidly released for use at other sites, was developed. To orchestrate the processes of energy storage and release, highly integrated systems operating on several physiological levels have evolved. The adipocyte is no longer considered a passive bystander, because fat cells actively secrete many members of the cytokine family, such as leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6, among other cytokine signals, which influence peripheral fuel storage, mobilization, and combustion, as well as energy homeostasis. The existence of a network of adipose tissue signaling pathways, arranged in a hierarchical fashion, constitutes a metabolic repertoire that enables the organism to adapt to a wide range of different metabolic challenges, such as starvation, stress, infection, and short periods of gross energy excess.     

Ghrelin的合成与分泌及其影响因素

Ghrelin是由28个氨基酸组成的一种脑肠肽.除了可以刺激生长激素释放以外,ghrelin具有促进摄食、调节能量代谢等多种中枢及外周的重要功能.本文总结近年关于ghrelin合成与分泌的研究成果,简要介绍ghrelin基因转录、ghrelin蛋白质的加工修饰及其相关调控机制,并从营养物质、激素、自主神经系统、机体生理状态和病理状态等方面,介绍影响ghrelin水平的一些主要因素.