The unsolved mystery of apoA-I recycling in adipocyte

Neuropeptide Y promotes hepatic apolipoprotein A1 synthesis and secretion through neuropeptide Y Y5 receptor

OBJECTIVES

Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), a major component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is a protective factor against cardiovascular disease (CVD). A recent epidemiological study found an association between neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene polymorphism and serum HDL levels. However, the direct effect of NPY on ApoA1 expression remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the NPY-mediated regulation of hepatic ApoA1.

METHODS

Serum ApoA1, total cholesterol, and HDL-c and hepatic ApoA1 levels were measured after intraperitoneal administration of NPY or an NPY Y5 receptor (NPY5R) agonist in vivo. HepG2 and BRL-3A hepatocytes were treated in vitro with NPY in the presence or absence of NPY receptor antagonists, agonists, or signal transduction pathway inhibitors. Subsequently, the protein and mRNA expression of cellular and secreted ApoA1 were determined.

RESULTS

NPY considerably upregulated hepatic ApoA1 expression and stimulated ApoA1 secretion, both in vivo and in vitro. NPY5R inhibition blocked NPY-induced upregulation of ApoA1 expression, and NPY5R activation stimulated ApoA1 expression and secretion in hepatocytes. Moreover, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase A (PKA) inhibition almost completely blocked the upregulation of ApoA1 expression and secretion induced by NPY5R.

CONCLUSIONS

For the first time, we demonstrated that NPY5R activation promotes hepatic ApoA1 synthesis and secretion through the ERK1/2 and PKA signal transduction pathways. Thus, NPY5R may be a potential therapeutic target for treating CVD by promoting cholesterol reverse transport.

Fine Mapping of a Major Backfat QTL Reveals a Causal Regulatory Variant Affecting the CCND2 Gene

Backfat is an important trait in pork production, and it has been included in the breeding objectives of genetic companies for decades. Although adipose tissue is a good energy storage, excessive fat results in reduced efficiency and economical losses. A large QTL for backfat thickness on chromosome 5 is still segregating in different commercial pig breeds. We fine mapped this QTL region using a genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) with 133,358 genotyped animals from five commercial populations (Landrace, Pietrain, Large White, Synthetic, and Duroc) imputed to the porcine 660K SNP chip. The lead SNP was located at 5:66103958 (G/A) within the third intron of the CCND2 gene, with the G allele associated with more backfat, while the A allele is associated with less backfat. We further phased the QTL region to discover a core haplotype of five SNPs associated with low backfat across three breeds. Linkage disequilibrium analysis using whole-genome sequence data revealed three candidate causal variants within intronic regions and downstream of the CCND2 gene, including the lead SNP. We evaluated the association of the lead SNP with the expression of the genes in the QTL region (including CCND2) in a large cohort of 100 crossbred samples, sequenced in four different tissues (lung, spleen, liver, muscle). Results show that the A allele increases the expression of CCND2 in an additive way in three out of four tissues. Our findings indicate that the causal variant for this QTL region is a regulatory variant within the third intron of the CCND2 gene affecting the expression of CCND2.

The effect of cranberry consumption on lipid metabolism and inflammation in human apo A-I transgenic mice fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet

Lipid metabolism and inflammation contribute to CVD development. This study investigated whether the consumption of cranberries (CR; Vaccinium macrocarpon) can alter HDL metabolism and prevent inflammation in mice expressing human apo A-I transgene (hApoAITg), which have similar HDL profiles to those of humans. Male hApoAITg mice were fed a modified American Institute of Nutrition-93M high-fat/high-cholesterol diet (16 % fat, 0·25 % cholesterol, w/w; n 15) or the high-fat/high-cholesterol diet containing CR (5 % dried CR powder, w/w, n 16) for 8 weeks. There were no significant differences in body weight between the groups. Serum total cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and TAG concentrations were significantly lower in the control than CR group with no significant differences in serum HDL-cholesterol and apoA-I. Mice fed CR showed significantly lower serum lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity than the control. Liver weight and steatosis were not significantly different between the groups, but hepatic expression of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism was significantly lower in the CR group. In the epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), the CR group showed higher weights with decreased expression of genes for lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. The mRNA abundance of F4/80, a macrophage marker and the numbers of crown-like structures were less in the CR group. In the soleus muscle, the CR group also demonstrated higher expression of genes for fatty acid β-oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis than those of the control. In conclusion, although CR consumption elicited minor effects on HDL metabolism, it prevented obesity-induced inflammation in eWAT with concomitant alterations in soleus muscle energy metabolism.

Blubber proteome response to repeated ACTH administration in a wild marine mammal

While the response to acute stress is adaptive in nature, repeated or chronic stress can impact an animal's fitness by depleting its energy stores and suppressing immune function and reproduction. This can be especially deleterious for species that rely on energy reserves to fuel key life history stages (e.g. reproduction), already experience physiological extremes (e.g. fasting), and/or have undergone significant population declines, such as many marine mammals. However, identifying chronically stressed individuals is difficult due to the practical challenges to sample collection from large aquatic animals and a paucity of information on downstream consequences of the stress response. We previously simulated repeated stress by ACTH administration in a model marine mammal, the northern elephant seal, and showed that changes in blubber gene expression, but not circulating cortisol levels, could distinguish between single and repeated responses to ACTH. Here, we profiled changes in the proteome of the same blubber cell population and identified a set of differentially expressed proteins that included extracellular matrix components, heat shock and mitochondrial proteins, metabolic enzymes, and metabolite transporters. Differentially expressed proteins and genes shared similar functions that suggest that repeated corticosteroid elevation may affect blubber tissue proteostasis, mitochondrial activity, adipogenesis, and metabolism in marine mammals. For marine mammal species from which blubber biopsies, but not blood can be obtained by remote sampling, measurement of abundance of such proteins may serve as a novel method for identifying chronically stressed animals.

Identification and Functional Prediction of Long Intergenic Non-coding RNAs Related to Subcutaneous Adipose Development in Pigs

An increasing number of studies have shown that long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) are a very important class of non-coding RNAs that plays a vital role in many biological processes. Adipose tissue is an important place for storing energy, but few studies on lincRNAs were related to pig subcutaneous fat development. Here, we used published RNA-seq data from subcutaneous adipose tissue of Italian Large White pigs and identified 252 putative lincRNAs, wherein 34 were unannotated. These lincRNAs had relatively shorter length, lower number of exons, and lower expression level compared with protein-coding transcripts. Gene ontology and pathway analysis indicated that the adjacent genes of lincRNAs were involved in lipid metabolism. In addition, differentially expressed lincRNAs (DELs) between low and high backfat thickness pigs were identified. Through the detection of quantitative trait locus (QTL), DELs were mainly located in QTLs related to adipose development. Based on the expression correlation of DEL genes and their differentially expressed potential target genes, we constructed a co-expression network and a potential pathway of DEL's effect on lipid metabolism. Our study identified and analyzed lincRNAs in subcutaneous adipose tissue, and results suggested that lincRNAs may be involved in the regulation of subcutaneous fat development. Our findings provided new insights into the biological function of porcine lincRNAs.