Identification of iduronate-2-sulfatase in mouse pancreatic islets

Heparanase and Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in pancreatic islets. The degradation of the glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate (HS) by the endo-β-D-glycosidase heparanase plays a critical role in multiple stages of the disease process. Heparanase aids (i) migration of inflammatory leukocytes from the vasculature to the islets, (ii) intra-islet invasion by insulitis leukocytes, and (iii) selective destruction of beta cells. These disease stages are marked by the solubilization of HS in the subendothelial basement membrane (BM), HS breakdown in the peri-islet BM, and the degradation of HS inside beta cells, respectively. Significantly, healthy islet beta cells are enriched in highly sulfated HS which is essential for their viability, protection from damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS), beta cell function and differentiation. Consequently, mouse and human beta cells but not glucagon-producing alpha cells (which contain less-sulfated HS) are exquisitely vulnerable to heparanase-mediated damage. In vitro, the death of HS-depleted mouse and human beta cells can be prevented by HS replacement using highly sulfated HS mimetics or analogues. T1D progression in NOD mice and recent-onset T1D in humans correlate with increased expression of heparanase by circulating leukocytes of myeloid origin and heparanase-expressing insulitis leukocytes. Treatment of NOD mice with the heparanase inhibitor and HS replacer, PI-88, significantly reduced T1D incidence by 50%, impaired the development of insulitis and preserved beta cell HS. These outcomes identified heparanase as a novel destructive tool in T1D, distinct from the conventional cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing mechanisms of autoreactive T cells. In contrast to exogenous catalytically active heparanase, endogenous heparanase may function in HS homeostasis, gene expression and insulin secretion in normal beta cells and immune gene expression in leukocytes. In established diabetes, the interplay between hyperglycemia, local inflammatory cells (e.g. macrophages) and heparanase contributes to secondary micro- and macro-vascular disease. We have identified dual activity heparanase inhibitors/HS replacers as a novel class of therapeutic for preventing T1D progression and potentially for mitigating secondary vascular disease that develops with long-term T1D.

Iduronate-2-Sulfatase-Regulated Dermatan Sulfate Levels Potentiate the Invasion of Breast Cancer Epithelia through Collagen Matrix

Cancer epithelia show elevation in levels of sulfated proteoglycans including dermatan sulfates (DS). The effect of increased DS on cancer cell behavior is still unclear. We hypothesized that decreased expression of the enzyme Iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) can lead to increased DS levels, which would enhance the invasion of cancer cells. Breast cancer sections shows depleted IDS levels in tumor epithelia, when compared with adjacent untransformed breast tissues. IDS signals showed a progressive decrease in the non-transformed HMLE, transformed but non-invasive MCF-7 and transformed and invasive MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively, when cultured on Type 1 collagen scaffolds. DS levels measured by ELISA increased in an inverse-association with IDS levels. Knockdown of IDS in MCF-7 epithelia also increased the levels of DS. MCF-7 cells with depleted IDS expression, when imaged using two photon-excited fluorescence and second harmonic generation microscopy, exhibited a mesenchymal morphology with multiple cytoplasmic projections compared with epithelioid control cells, interacted with their surrounding matrix, and showed increased invasion through Type 1 collagen matrices. Both these traits were phenocopied when control MCF-7 cells were cultivated on Type 1 collagen gels polymerized in the presence of DS. In monolayer cultures, DS had no effect on MCF-7 migration. In the context of our demonstration that DS enhances the elastic modulus of Type 1 collagen gels, we propose that a decrease of IDS expression leads to accumulation within cancer epithelia of DS: the latter remodels the collagen around cancer cells leading to changes in cell shape and invasiveness through fibrillar matrix milieu.

Downregulation of Sfrp5 promotes beta cell proliferation during obesity in the rat

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

During obesity, the increment in beta cell mass in response to the rising demand for insulin is essential to maintain normal glucose homeostasis. However, the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in beta cell mass plasticity remain poorly understood. The Wnt signalling pathway has been suggested as one possible modulator of beta cell proliferation, which represents the principal process involved in beta cell mass expansion. Here, we sought to determine the mechanisms involved in beta cell mass proliferation using diet-induced obese rats.

METHODS

Wistar rats aged 8 weeks old were fed a standard or cafeteria diet. Global transcriptomic analysis of pancreatic rat islets was performed using microarray analysis. Genetic loss-of-function approaches were performed in dispersed primary rat islets and the beta cell line INS1E. Gene expression was measured by real-time PCR, protein levels by immunoblot analysis, proliferation rates by ELISA and apoptosis by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Sfrp5, coding for secreted frizzled-related protein 5, is downregulated in the pancreatic islets of cafeteria-diet-fed rats as well as in the pancreatic islets of human obese patients. We demonstrate that silencing Sfrp5 increases beta cell proliferation, which correlates with activation of Wnt signalling and enhanced levels of proliferation markers. In addition, we show that expression of Sfrp5 in beta cells is modulated by IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) secreted from visceral adipose tissue.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Together, these findings reveal an important role for SFRP5 and Wnt signalling in the regulation of beta cell proliferation in obesity.

Analyzing microarray data of Alzheimer's using cluster analysis to identify the biomarker genes

Alzheimer is characterized by the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in cortical regions of the brain. The experimental data is taken from Gene Expression Omnibus. A hierarchical Cluster analysis and TreeView were performed to group genes on the basis of the expression pattern. The dynamic change of expression over time and diverse patterns of expression support the concept of a complex local milieu. TreeView allows the organized data to be visualized. List of 24 genes were obtained which showed high expression levels. Three genes, SORL1, APP, and APOE, are suspected to cause Alzheimer's whereas the other 21 genes are related to other diseases but may also be found to be associated with Alzheimer's, and these are TMEM59, CCT4, IGF2R, SFPQ, PRDX3, RNF14, IDS, SSBP1, SYNE2, TXNL4A, STXBP3, SMARCB1, ULK2, AGTPBP1, FABP7, CALB1, H2AFY, COPA, SAP18, ATIC and SYNCRIP.

Role of iduronate-2-sulfatase in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by activation of exocytosis

Iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) is a lysosomal enzyme expressed in pancreatic islets responsible for the degradation of proteoglycans such as perlecan and dermatan sulfate. Previous findings of our group demonstrated the involvement of IDS in the normal pathway of lysosomal degradation of secretory peptides, suggesting a role of this enzyme in beta-cell secretory functionality. The present study was undertaken to characterize the effect of IDS overexpression on insulin release. INS1E cells were transiently transfected with a construct encoding human IDS (hIDS). hIDS overexpression was associated with a gain of function detected by a reduction in heparan sulfate content. hIDS potentiated the glucose-stimulated insulin secretory response compared with controls (61%) with no changes in insulin mRNA levels or insulin peptide content. Results on quantification of the exocytotic process showed a significant increase in hIDS-transfected cells compared with controls. Furthermore, ultramorphological analysis demonstrated an increase in the number of granules in the immediate vicinity of the plasma membrane in hIDS-transfected cells and a decrease in total vesicles per square micrometer. hIDS overexpression induced phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) alpha and its newly myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate, MARCKS. We conclude that IDS has a role in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion via a mechanism that involves the activation of exocytosis through phosphorylation of PKCalpha and MARCKS.

Impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a downstream endoplasmic reticulum stress response induced by extracellular human islet amyloid polypeptide and contributes to pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis

OBJECTIVE

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) aggregation plays a major role in the development of islet amyloidosis in type 2 diabetes. It is known that extracellular hIAPP oligomers are toxic to pancreatic beta-cells and associated with apoptosis. We therefore investigated the molecular mechanism by which extracellular hIAPP mediates pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

MIN6 cells and primary cultures of human pancreatic islets were treated with freshly dissolved hIAPP peptide. Morphology of the cultures was evaluated by electron microscopy. Gene expression was analyzed by microarray, RT-PCR, and immunoblot. Calcium levels were measured in fura-2-loaded cells. Apoptosis was quantified by cytometry.

RESULTS

Increased expression of several heat shock proteins and activation of the spliced form of XBP-1, a transcription factor for overexpression of chaperones during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, were detected together with morphological evidence of ER dysfunction. Intracellular calcium overload was detected in association with this process. Moreover, reduction in the proteasome activity, which was detected over time, contributed to the intracellular accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, leading to a functional suppression of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In addition, impairment of the proteasome function contributed to apoptosis, while, despite the presence of hIAPP, cell viability improved when a proteasome activator was overexpressed. The key cytotoxic events induced by extracellular hIAPP were also observed in treated human islets.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that ER stress responses are intracellular signaling mechanisms induced by extracellular hIAPP aggregation and that impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is implicated in ER stress-mediated pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis.