Influence of glucose on production and N-sulfation of heparan sulfate in cultured adipocyte cells

Heparan Sulfate: A Regulator of White Adipocyte Differentiation and of Vascular/Adipocyte Interactions

White adipose tissues are major endocrine organs that release factors, termed adipokines, which affect other major organ systems. The development and functions of adipose tissues depend largely upon the glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) surround both adipocytes and vascular structures and facilitate the communication between these two components. This communication mediates the continued export of adipokines from adipose tissues. Heparan sulfates regulate cellular physiology and communication through a sulfation code that ionically interacts with heparan-binding regions on a select set of proteins. Many of these proteins are growth factors and chemokines that regulate tissue function and inflammation. Cells regulate heparan sulfate sulfation through the release of heparanases and sulfatases. It is now possible to tissue engineer vascularized adipose tissues that express heparan sulfate proteoglycans. This makes it possible to use these tissue constructs to study the role of heparan sulfates in the regulation of adipokine production and release. It is possible to regulate the production of heparanases and sulfatases in order to fine-tune experimental studies.

Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in Diabetes

Diabetes is a complex disorder responsible for the mortality and morbidity of millions of individuals worldwide. Although many approaches have been used to understand and treat diabetes, the role of proteoglycans, in particular heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), has only recently received attention. The HSPGs are heterogeneous, highly negatively charged, and are found in all cells primarily attached to the plasma membrane or present in the extracellular matrix (ECM). HSPGs are involved in development, cell migration, signal transduction, hemostasis, inflammation, and antiviral activity, and regulate cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and enzymes. Hyperglycemia, accompanying diabetes, increases reactive oxygen species and upregulates the enzyme heparanase that degrades HSPGs or affects the synthesis of the HSPGs altering their structure. The modified HSPGs in the endothelium and ECM in the blood vessel wall contribute to the nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, and retinopathy seen in diabetes. Besides the blood vessel, other cells and tissues in the heart, kidney, and eye are affected by diabetes. Although not well understood, the adipose tissue, intestine, and brain also reveal HSPG changes associated with diabetes. Further, HSPGs are significantly involved in protecting the β cells of the pancreas from autoimmune destruction and could be a focus of prevention of type I diabetes. In some circumstances, HSPGs may contribute to the pathology of the disease. Understanding the role of HSPGs and how they are modified by diabetes may lead to new treatments as well as preventative measures to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this complex condition.

Insulin modulates the secretion of proteins from mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes: a role for transcriptional regulation of processing

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Under conditions of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, fat cells are subjected to increased levels of insulin, which may have a major impact on the secretion of adipokines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using transcriptomics and proteomics, we investigated how insulin affects the transcription and protein secretion profile of mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

RESULTS

We found that insulin has a significant impact on protein secretion of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. However, transcription is not the major regulation point for these secreted proteins. For extracellular matrix components, our data suggest that the mRNA level of processing enzymes, but not of target proteins, is the regulating point at which insulin stimulates secretion and function of the relevant proteins. Among these enzymes, we report a novel finding, namely that sulfatase 2 gene is regulated by insulin, which may induce a functional change in cultured adipocytes.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

We propose that enhancement of protein processing and secretion rather than transcription of the secreted protein genes is part of the strategic role of insulin in the induction of cellular responses.

No change in glomerular heparan sulfate structure in early human and experimental diabetic nephropathy

Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans are major anionic glycoconjugates of the glomerular basement membrane and are thought to contribute to the permeability properties of the glomerular capillary wall. In this study we evaluated whether the development of (micro) albuminuria in early human and experimental diabetic nephropathy is related to changes in glomerular HS expression or structure. Using a panel of recently characterized antibodies, glomerular HS expression was studied in kidney biopsies of type I diabetic patients with microalbuminuria or early albuminuria and in rat renal tissue after 5 months diabetes duration. Glomerular staining, however, revealed no differences between control and diabetic specimens. A significant (p < 0.05) approximately 60% increase was found in HS N-deacetylase activity, a key enzyme in HS sulfation reactions, in diabetic glomeruli. Structural analysis of glomerular HS after in vivo and in vitro radiolabeling techniques revealed no changes in HS N-sulfation or charge density. Also HS chain length, protein binding properties, as well as disaccharide composition did not differ between control and diabetic glomerular HS samples. These results indicate that in experimental and early human diabetic nephropathy, increased urinary albumin excretion is not caused by loss of glomerular HS expression or sulfation and suggest other mechanisms to be responsible for increased glomerular albumin permeability.

Structure and dynamics of the conserved protein GPI anchor core inserted into detergent micelles

A suitable approach which combines nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to study the structure and the dynamics of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor Manalphal-2Manalpha1-6Manalphal -4GlcNalpha1-6myo-inositol-1-OPO(3)-sn-1,2-dimyristoylglycerol (1) incorporated into dodecylphosphatidylcholine (DPC) micelles. The results have been compared to those previously obtained for the products obtainable from (1) after phospholipase cleavage, in aqueous solution. Relaxation and diffusion NMR experiments were used to establish the formation of stable aggregates and the insertion of (1) into the micelles. MD calculations were performed including explicit water, sodium and chloride ions and using the Particle Mesh Ewald approach for the evaluation of the electrostatic energy term. The MD predicted three dimensional structure and dynamics were substantiated by nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) measurements and relaxation data. The pseudopentasaccharide structure, which was not affected by incorporation of (1) into the micelle, showed a complex dynamic behaviour with a faster relative motion at the terminal mannopyranose unit and decreased mobility close to the micelle. This motion may be better described as an oscillation relative to the membrane rather than a folding event.

Loss of heparan N-sulfotransferase in diabetic liver: role of angiotensin II

The basis for accelerated atherosclerosis in diabetes is unclear. Diabetes is associated with loss of heparan sulfate (HS) from the liver, which may impede lipoprotein clearance and thereby worsen atherosclerosis. To study hepatic HS loss in diabetes, we examined regulation of HS N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-1 (NDST), a key enzyme in hepatic HS biosynthesis. Hepatic NDST mRNA, protein, and enzymatic activity were suppressed by >50% 2 weeks after induction of type 1 diabetes in rats. Treatment of diabetic rats with enalapril, an ACE inhibitor, had no effect on hyperglycemia or hepatic NDST mRNA levels, yet increased hepatic NDST protein and enzymatic activity. Similar results were obtained in diabetic animals treated with losartan, which blocks the type 1 receptor for angiotensin II (AngII). Consistent with these findings, diabetic livers exhibited increased ACE expression, and addition of AngII to cultured hepatoma cells reduced NDST activity and protein. We conclude that diabetes substantially suppresses hepatic NDST mRNA, protein, and enzymatic activity. AngII contributes to suppression of NDST protein and enzymatic activity, whereas mRNA suppression occurs independently. Suppression of hepatic NDST may contribute to diabetic dyslipidemia, and stimulation of NDST activity by AngII inhibitors may provide cardiovascular protection.

Identification of iduronate-2-sulfatase in mouse pancreatic islets

The lysosomal enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) is expressed in pancreatic islets and is responsible for degradation of proteoglycans, such as perlecan and dermatan sulfate. To determine the role of IDS in islets, expression and regulation of the gene and localization of the enzyme were investigated in mouse pancreatic islets and clonal cells. The Ids gene was expressed in mouse islets and beta- and alpha-clonal cells, in which it was localized intracellularly in lysosomes. The transcriptional expression of Ids in mouse islets increased with glucose in a dose-dependent manner (11.5, 40.2, 88, and 179% at 5.5, 11.1, 16.7, and 24.4 mM, respectively, P < 0.01 for 16.7 and 24.4 mM glucose vs. 3 mM glucose). This increase was not produced by glyceraldehyde (1 mM) or 6-deoxyglucose (21.4 mM) and was blocked by the addition of mannoheptulose (21.4 mM). Neither insulin content nor secretory response to glucose (16.7 mM) was altered in mouse islets infected with lentiviral constructs carrying the IDS gene in sense orientation. Furthermore, no decrease in islet cell viability was observed in mouse islets carrying lentiviral contracts compared with controls. However, insulin content was reduced (35% vs. controls, P < 0.001) in islets infected with IDS antisense construct, while the secretory response of those islets to glucose was maintained. Inhibition of IDS by antisense infection led to an increase in lysosomal size and a high rate of insulin granule degradation via the crinophagic route in pancreatic beta-cells. We conclude that IDS is localized in lysosomes in pancreatic islet cells and expression is regulated by glucose. IDS has a potential role in the normal pathway of lysosomal degradation of secretory peptides and is likely to be essential to maintain pancreatic beta-cell function.

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans in experimental models of diabetes: a role for perlecan in diabetes complications

Proteoglycans are ubiquitous extracellular proteins that serve a variety of functions throughout the organism. Unlike other glycoproteins, proteoglycans are classified based on the structure of the glycosaminoglycan carbohydrate chains, not the core proteins. Perlecan, a member of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) family, has been implicated in many complications of diabetes. Decreased levels of perlecan have been observed in the kidney and in other organs, both in patients with diabetes and in animal models. Perlecan has an important role in the maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier. Decreased perlecan in the glomerular basement membrane has a central role in the development of diabetic albuminuria. The involvement of this proteoglycan in diabetic complications and the possible mechanisms underlying such a role have been addressed using a variety of models. Due to the importance of nephropathy among diabetic patients most of the studies conducted so far relate to diabetes effects on perlecan in different types of kidney cells. The various diabetic models used have provided information on some of the mechanisms underlying perlecan's role in diabetes as well as on possible factors affecting its regulation. However, many other aspects of perlecan metabolism still await full elucidation. The present review provides a description of the models that have been used to study HSPG and in particular perlecan metabolism in diabetes and some of the factors that have been found to be important in the regulation of perlecan.