Thyroid hormone stimulation of Lipogenesis in isolated rat hepatocytes

3,5,3'triiodo-L-thyronine induces SREBP-1 expression by non-genomic actions in human HEP G2 cells

Liver is an important target for thyroid hormone actions. T(3) exerts its effects by two mechanisms: (i) Genomic actions consisting of T(3) link to nuclear receptors that bind responsive elements in the promoter of target genes, (ii) non-genomic actions including integrin αvb3 receptor-mediated MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR-C1 activation. SREBP-1a, SREBP-1c, and SREBP-2 are transcription factors involved in the regulation of lipogenic genes. We show in Hep G2 cells that T(3) determined a dose- and time-dependent increase in the level of the precursor form of SREBP-1 without affecting SREBP-1 mRNA abundance. T(3) also induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt and of mTOR-C1 target S6K-P70, and the cytosol-to-membrane translocation of PKC-α. Modulation of SREBP-1 protein level by T(3) was dependent on MAPK/ERK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR-C1 pathway activation since the MEK inhibitor PD98059 or the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 abolished the stimulatory effect of T(3) . Conversely, the effect of T(3) on SREBP-1 level was enhanced by using rapamycin, mTOR-C1 inhibitor. These data suggest a negative control of mTOR-C1 target S6K-P70 on PI3K/Akt pathway. The effect of T(3) on SREBP-1 content increased also by using PKC inhibitors. These inhibitors increased the action of T(3) on Akt phosphorylation suggesting that conventional PKCs may work as negative regulators of the T(3) -dependent SREBP-1 increase. T(3) effects were partially abrogated by tetrac, an inhibitor of the T(3) -αvβ3 receptor interaction and partially evoked by T(3) analog T(3) -agarose. These findings support a model in which T(3) activates intracellular signaling pathways which may be involved in the increment of SREBP-1 level through an IRES-mediated translation mechanism.

Oleic acid is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis in C6 glioma cells

Glial cells play a pivotal role in brain fatty acid metabolism and membrane biogenesis. However, the potential regulation of lipogenesis and cholesterologenesis by fatty acids in glial cells has been barely investigated. Here, we show that physiologically relevant concentrations of various saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly reduce [1-(14)C]acetate incorporation into fatty acids and cholesterol in C6 cells. Oleic acid was the most effective at depressing lipogenesis and cholesterologenesis; a decreased label incorporation into cellular palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids was detected, suggesting that an enzymatic step(s) of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis was affected. To clarify this issue, the activities of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and FAS were determined with an in situ digitonin-permeabilized cell assay after incubation of C6 cells with fatty acids. ACC activity was strongly reduced ( approximately 80%) by oleic acid, whereas no significant change in FAS activity was observed. Oleic acid also reduced the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). The inhibition of ACC and HMGCR activities is corroborated by the decreases in ACC and HMGCR mRNA abundance and protein levels. The downregulation of ACC and HMGCR activities and expression by oleic acid could contribute to the reduced lipogenesis and cholesterologenesis.

Short-term stimulation of lipogenesis by 3,5-L-diiodothyronine in cultured rat hepatocytes

Short-term effects of 3,5-l-diiodothyronine (T2) on lipid biosynthesis were studied in cultured hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats. A comparison with the effects of T3 was routinely carried out. After T2 addition to cell cultures, a distinct stimulation of fatty acid and cholesterol syntheses, measured as incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into these lipid fractions, was observed. The T2 dose-dependent effect on both metabolic pathways, already detectable at 10(-8)-10(-9) M, reached a 2-fold stimulation at 10(-5) M T2. At this concentration, the stimulatory effect was evident within 1 h of T2 addition to the hepatocytes and increased with time up to the length of the experimental period of 4 h. T2 stimulation of lipogenesis was also confirmed by incubating hepatocytes with [3H]H2O, used as an independent index of lipogenic activity. The effects of T2 are rather specific as 3,3',5,5'-tetraiodo-D-thyronine and 3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosine were practically ineffective on both fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. Analysis of various lipid fractions showed that T2 addition to the cells produced a significant stimulation of the incorporation of newly synthesized fatty acids into both neutral and polar lipids. By comparing the effects induced by T2 with those seen in the presence of T3, it appeared that T2 was able to mimic T3 effects. Experiments conducted in the presence of cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, indicated that the T2 stimulatory effect on fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis was essentially independent of protein synthesis.

Relationships between fatty acid synthesis and lipid secretion in the isolated perfused rat liver: effects of hyperthyroidism, glucose and oleate

Various studies on the effects of thyroid status on hepatic fatty acid synthesis have produced conflicting results. Several variables (e.g., plasma free fatty acid and glucose concentrations) are altered simultaneously by thyroid status and can affect fatty acid synthesis. To evaluate the effects of these variables, hepatic fatty acid synthesis (lipogenesis) was studied in isolated perfused livers from normal and triiodothyronine-treated rats. Livers were perfused with media containing either 5.5 or 25 mM glucose without fatty acid, or 5.5 mM glucose and 0.7 mM oleate. Rates of lipogenesis were determined by measurement of incorporation of 3H2O into fatty acids. Lipogenesis in livers from hyperthyroid animals exceeded that of controls, when perfused with 5.5 mM glucose with or without oleate. Perfusion with 25 mM glucose increased lipogenesis in both euthyroid and hyperthyroid groups to the same level, abolishing this difference between them. Perfusion with oleate reduced rates of lipogenesis by livers from euthyroid and hyperthyroid rats to a similar extent, but stimulated secretion of radioactive fatty acid in phospholipid and free fatty acid fractions. Oleate increased ketogenesis by livers from normal and triiodothyronine-treated rats, with higher rates of ketogenesis in the triiodothyronine-treated group. When oleate was omitted, ketogenesis in the presence of 5.5 mM glucose by the hyperthyroid group was similar to that of euthyroid controls, while ketogenesis was decreased in the hyperthyroid group relative to controls when perfused with 25 mM glucose. About 30% of the radioactivity incorporated into the total fatty acid of both groups was recovered in palmitate, with the remainder in longer chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In both euthyroid and hyperthyroid groups, the ratio of triacylglycerol:phospholipid fatty acid radioactivity was not only less than predicted (based on synthetic rates of PL and TG) but also was decreased in perfusions with exogenous oleate compared to perfusions without oleate. In perfusions with oleate, both groups incorporated twice as much radioactivity into phospholipid as into triacylglycerol. The data suggest the following concepts: while hepatic fatty acid synthesis and oxidation are increased simultaneously in the hyperthyroid state, de novo synthesized fatty acids seem to be poorer substrates for oxidation than are exogenous fatty acids, and are preferentially incorporated into phospholipid, while exogenous fatty acids are better substrates for oxidation and esterification to triacylglycerol. The preferential utilization of de novo synthesized fatty acid for phospholipid synthesis may be an important physiologic adaptation insuring a constant source of fatty acid for membrane synthesis.

Exchange of free cholesterol between plasma and erythrocytes from hyperthyroid and hypothyroid rats in vitro

In our previous studies, we found that circulating thyroid hormone levels alter cholesterol partition between plasma and erythrocytes by changing the phospholipid content of erythrocytes (Ruggiero, F. M., et al. (1984) Horm. Metabol. Res. 16, 37-40; Ruggiero, F. M., et al. (1987) Lipids 22, 148-151). As an extension of this work, we now followed the exchange of free cholesterol between plasma and erythrocytes in control, hyperthyroid and hypothyroid rats under various experimental conditions in vitro. In control rats, erythrocytes incubated with plasma at 37 degrees C for 4 hr lose 10% of cholesterol which was esterified by lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) present in the plasma. In hyperthyroid rats, erythrocytes incubated with plasma lose 30% of cholesterol within the same time. By contrast, in the case of hypothyroid rats incubation for 4 hr was necessary to transfer 24% of free cholesterol from plasma to erythrocytes. Inhibition of cholesterol esterification did not affect the loss of erythrocyte cholesterol in control and in hyperthyroid rats. Ca2+ increased the LCAT activity in the plasma of these rats. The findings shed light on the role of thyroid hormones in regulating cholesterol levels in plasma through active cholesterol transfer between plasma and erythrocytes.

Lipid composition of brown adipose tissue mitochondria and microsomes in hyperthyroid rats

1. The effects of triiodothyronine on the lipid composition of rat brown adipose tissue (BAT) mitochondria and microsomes was investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 2. An increase of about 20% was noted in mitochondrial cholesterol and phospholipids, while a decrease of about 20% for both total cholesterol and phospholipids was observed in microsomes from hyperthyroid rats. 3. The BAT phospholipid composition was altered significantly in mitochondria from T3-treated rats with an increase (41%) of cardiolipin and a decrease (18%) in phosphatidylcholine. 4. In microsomes, a decrease by 25% in phosphatidylinositol was accompanied by a similar additional percentage increase in phosphatidylethanolamine. 5. Important alterations in the fatty acid pattern were found in mitochondrial neutral lipids.

Ketone-body metabolism in hyperthyroid rats: reduced activity of D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase in both liver and heart and of succinyl-coenzyme A: 3-oxoacid coenzyme A-transferase in heart

The specific activity of D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase is reduced by about a third in liver and heart mitochondria of hyperthyroid rats. State 3 respiration is also reduced in isolated mitochondria from the same animals when DL-3-hydroxybutyrate is the substrate. Determination of the kinetic parameters of the membrane-bound D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase in liver of hyperthyroid rats reveals a decreased in maximal velocity (Vmax). The Michaelis and dissociation constants of NAD+ and D-3-hydroxybutyrate are also significantly influenced, thus indicating that both the affinity and the binding of this enzyme toward its substrates are affected. In hyperthyroid rats a significant ketone-body increase is found in both liver and heart: in blood, an almost doubled concentration can be measured. At the same time, in heart mitochondria of these animals the activity of succinyl-coenzyme A: 3-oxoacid coenzyme A-transferase is significantly reduced. The decrease in both D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and 3-oxoacid coenzyme A-transferase associated with the increase in ketone bodies supports the suggestion that there is a lower utilization of these compounds by peripheral tissues. In the blood of hyperthyroid rats a higher D-3-hydroxybutyrate/acteoacetate ratio is also found, probably resulting from a selective utilization of the two compounds in this pathological state.

Effect of hypothyroidism on the lipid composition of rat plasma and erythrocyte membranes

The effect of hypothyroidism on plasma and erythrocyte membrane lipid components has been investigated. This pathological state is accompanied by a) a cholesterol increase of about 60% in plasma, and at the same time a 22% reduction in erythrocyte membranes; b) 44% and 30% phospholipid level decreases in both plasma and red cell membranes, respectively; and c) almost unaffected phospholipid and fatty acid compositions of both plasma and erythrocyte membranes. All changes were corrected by treatment of the hypothyroid rats with triiodothyronine for two days. These findings suggest that in hypothyroid rats a reduced transfer of cholesterol from plasma to erythrocyte membrane probably takes place. This could explain, at least in part, the increased hematic cholesterol level observed in hypothyroid animals. In red cell membranes, the simultaneous decrease in cholesterol and phospholipid levels does not alter the cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio, thus avoiding their abnormal function.

Changes in fatty acid profiles of plasma, erythrocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes in induced hypothyroidism in man: indirect evidence for altered delta 6 desaturase activity

Thirteen patients who were athyreotic as a consequence of ablation treatment for well-differentiated thyroid cancer were studied during triiodothyronine supplementation, and subsequently at the end of a two weeks withdrawal of this medication. Serum and plasma lipid concentrations, erythrocyte cholesterol content and plasma and erythrocyte total fatty acid patterns were measured. In addition, total fatty acid profiles of polymorphonuclear leukocytes of eight patients and scanning electron microscopic studies of erythrocytes of nine patients were made. We observed an increase of the serum concentrations of total and unesterified cholesterol and phospholipids in all patients. Except for two, all patients showed an increase in the serum triglyceride concentration. The relative amounts of 18:2c,omega 6 rose and those of 20:3c,omega 6 fell in all studied compartments. In addition, the relative amounts of all other omega 6 fatty acids, 22:6c,omega 3, 20:3c,omega 9, 16:0, 18:0, and total saturated fatty acids decreased in plasma, whereas the levels of all monounsaturated fatty acids increased in the erythrocytes. The level of 20:3c,omega 9 rose in the erythrocytes and the 20:3c,omega 9/20:4c,omega 6 ratio rose in the polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The erythrocyte total fatty acids and cholesterol content and their ratio did not change, nor was any alteration seen in the red cell morphology by scanning electron microscopy. This study reveals that the induction of hypothyroidism in man changes fatty acid patterns of plasma, erythrocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The nature of these alterations suggests especially a disturbance in the delta 6 desaturase activity. The data point to the possibility of a derangement of eicosanoid synthesis in hypothyroidism.

Abnormal lipogenesis in thyroid hormone-deficient epidermis

Striking skin changes can accompany hypothyroidism, among them a scaly ichthyosis. The pathogenesis of these disorders is unknown. Since altered sterol metabolism has been associated with other scaling dermatoses, we tested the hypothesis that altered epidermal lipogenesis may accompany hypothyroidism and induce the observed scaling. Thyroidectomized (TX) rats were sacrificed 53 days postthyroidectomy, and the rate of incorporation of the radiolabeled precursor, [14C]acetate, into epidermal lipids was determined. Approximately 2-fold decreases in incorporation of precursor into both polar and neutral lipids were observed in the TX epidermis; the most significant decreases, however, were in the neutral lipids, particularly the sterol and sterol-ester moieties. Total cholesterol pool size was also reduced in the TX epidermis. Similar decreases in sterol biosynthesis were noted in human keratinocytes cultivated in medium devoid of thyroid hormone. These findings demonstrate that lipid metabolism, and notably sterol synthesis, is altered in epidermal keratinocytes deprived of thyroid hormone, and suggest that, as in other scaling disorders, this abnormal sterologenesis may lead to the clinically observed ichthyosis that can accompany hypothyroidism.

Short-term stimulation of lipogenesis by triiodothyronine in maintenance cultures of rat hepatocytes

Within 4 h following the addition of 3,3',5 triiodo-L-thyronine to monolayer cultures of hepatocytes isolated from hypothyroid rats, a very distinct stimulation of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, measured as incorporation of either [1-14C]acetate or [3H]H2O into these lipid fractions, is observed. A smaller but significant increase in the rate of lipogenesis occurs in hepatocytes derived from euthyroid animals. These stimulatory effects of triiodothyronine are also observed in the presence of cycloheximide, indicating that the described early and direct stimulation of lipogenesis by the thyroid hormone is, at least in part, independent of protein synthesis.

Lipid composition of liver mitochondria and microsomes in hyperthyroid rats

Triiodothyronine-induced alteration of the lipid pattern in rat-liver mitochondria and microsomes has been investigated. In mitochondria, a 25% total cholesterol decrease and a 14% phospholipid increase have been detected. In these hyperthyroid rat liver organelles, a strong decrease in the total cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio occurs. On the contrary, in microsomes from the same animals, a decrease of about 23% has been measured for both total cholesterol and phospholipids; hence, in this fraction, the total cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio is unaffected by hyperthyroidism. The liver mitochondrial phospholipid composition, unlike the microsomal composition, is altered significantly in hyperthyroid rats; a 7.4% phosphatidylcholine decrease is accompanied by a similar additive percentage increase of both phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin. In regard to total phospholipid fatty acid composition in liver microsomes from hyperthyroid rats, no variation has been observed compared with the control rats, whereas in mitochondria from the same animals, a meaningful linoleic acid decrease with a similar arachidonic acid increase has been found. In addition to fatty acid alteration, the separated mitochondrial phospholipid classes also exhibit some increase in stearic acid. Among phospholipids, cardiolipin changes the most of the esterified fatty acids in hyperthyroid rat liver. In this compound, a strong increase in the percentage of both palmitic and stearic acid and a 32.4% decrease of linoleic acid have been found.

Thyroid hormone action on intermediary metabolism. Part II: Lipid metabolism in hypo- and hyperthyroidism

Despite their enhanced endogenous de novo cholesterol synthesis, hyperthyroid patients exhibit decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the serum because of a concomitant increase in LDL catabolism, cholesterol excretion by bile and a reduced enterohepatic bile acid circulation. Hypothyroidism exhibits a reduction (1) in the synthesis of cholesterol and (2) in LDL catabolism, whereas cholesterol reabsorption is unchanged or even enhanced. In addition, obese hypothyroid patients showed an increased cholesterol synthesis which is independent of thyroid hormones and which contributes to the observed LDL cholesterolaemia. Thyroid hormones per se have only a minor influence on plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, but they induce an acceleration of TG turnover and chylomicron clearance rate. In addition, the hepatic lipogenic capacity is increased in hyperthyroidism and reduced in hypothyroidism. However, hepatic total and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglyceride output is decreased by thyroid hormones due to a reduced re-esterification and a simultaneously increased oxidation of newly synthesized fatty acids. Hypothyroid livers, by contrast, reveal an increased VLDL secretion. Despite their reduced lipogenesis, obese hypothyroidism is often accompanied by a hypertriglyceridaemia type III. The simultaneous stimulation of the synthesis of fatty acids, which are still in part converted to TG, and the degradation of TG contributes to the enhanced thermogenesis in hyperthyroid patients. The concentration and turnover of free fatty acids (FFA) are increased in hyperthyroidism, resulting from a thyroid hormone-induced increase in: (1) lipolysis, explained by an increased adipose tissue sensitivity for lipolytic hormones; and (2) oxidation of fatty acids to CO2 as well as to ketone bodies (KB).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of hyperthyroidism on lipogenesis in brown adipose tissue of young rats

Fatty acid synthetic capacity, investigated both in subcellular fractions and in vivo, is very active in brown adipose tissue of room temperature-acclimated rats. In hyperthyroid animals this tissue, analogously to the liver, exhibits an increased activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthetase and microsomal fatty acid chain elongation, this last mechanism remaining unaffected in mitochondria. An enhancement of reducing capacities of a group of cytoplasmic NADP-dependent enzymes has also been observed in brown adipose tissue of hyperthyroid rats, probably due to a greater use of NADPH in lipogenesis under these conditions. An increase in palmitate oxidation and in polyenoic fatty acids was observed in mitochondria of brown adipose tissue from hyperthyroid animals. The latter increase is related to the importance of these compounds in the regulation of membrane fluidity and probably to an increased resistance to cold in the hyperthyroid state.

The metabolism of fatty acids in hepatocytes isolated from triiodothyronine-treated rats

1. The effect of triiodothyronine on the metabolism of palmitate, oleate and erucate in isolated rat hepatocytes was studied. 2. In triiodothyronine-treated rats increased oxidation and decreased triacylglycerol formation from palmitate and oleate was observed. For erucate triiodothyronine caused increased oxidation, but had no significant effect on esterification. 3. Glucagon had no effect on the fatty acid metabolism in hepatocytes from triiodothyronine-treated rats, whereas it stimulated the oxidation in hepatocytes from normal rats. Still, after treatment with triiodothyronine, the oxidation of fatty acids was significantly higher than in glucagon-stimulated normal hepatocytes. 4. In isolated rat liver mitochondria triiodothyronine raised the activity of the outer carnitine palmitoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.21). The activity of the total carnitine palmitoyltransferase was elevated only slightly in isolated mitochondria from triiodothyronine-treated rats. These effects were similar to those seen in fasted rats. 5. Triiodothyronine had no significant influence on the concentration of long-chain acyl-CoA or alpha-glycerophosphate in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Regulation of hepatic lipogenesis in starved and diabetic animals by thyroid hormone

The effects of intragastric feeding with glucose and of the administration of L-triiodothyronine (T3) on in vivo rates of hepatic lipogenesis were investigated in control (fed ad libitum on normal diet), diabetic (fed ad libitum on normal diet), fat-fed (fed ad libitum on high-fat diet), and starved (food removed for 48 h) rats. Two days of T3 treatment increased hepatic lipogenesis in control and fat-fed animals but not in the diabetic or starved animals, although increases in lipogenesis in diabetic animals were observed after 4 days of T3 treatment. Intragastric glucose feeding increased hepatic lipogenesis in the livers of control animals and T3-treated control animals. Such increases are mediated by an increase in the circulating insulin concentration, as increases are not observed in diabetic rats or T3-treated diabetic rats. Glucose feeding failed to increase hepatic lipogenesis in fat-fed rats or starved rats. Insulin injection together with glucose feeding increased lipogenesis in the fat-fed group but not the starved group; i.e., impaired insulin secretion following an oral glucose load may in part explain the lack of response in the fat-fed but not the starved animals. Marked increases in hepatic lipogenesis after glucose feeding were, however, observed if either the starved or the fat-fed animals were treated with T3. The physiological implications of these observations are discussed.