Type 2 diabetes mellitus in a non-obese mouse model induced by Meg1/Grb10 overexpression

Current Studies on Molecular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that raises the risk of microvascular and neurological disorders. Insensitivity to insulin is a characteristic of type II diabetes, which accounts for 85-90 percent of all diabetic patients. The fundamental molecular factor of insulin resistance may be impaired cell signal transduction mediated by the insulin receptor (IR). Several cell-signaling proteins, including IR, insulin receptor substrate (IRS), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), have been recognized as being important in the impaired insulin signaling pathway since they are associated with a large number of proteins that are strictly regulated and interact with other signaling pathways. Many studies have found a correlation between IR alternative splicing, IRS gene polymorphism, the complicated regulatory function of IRS serine/threonine phosphorylation, and the negative regulatory role of p85 in insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. This review brings up-to-date knowledge of the roles of signaling proteins in insulin resistance in order to aid in the discovery of prospective targets for insulin resistance treatment.

Imprinted Genes Impact Upon Beta Cell Function in the Current (and Potentially Next) Generation

Beta cell failure lies at the centre of the aetiology and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and the epigenetic control of the expression of critical beta cell genes appears to play a major role in this decline. One such group of epigenetically-controlled genes, termed 'imprinted' genes, are characterised by transgenerational monoallelic expression due to differential allelic DNA methylation and play key functional roles within beta cells. Here, we review the evidence for this functional importance of imprinted genes in beta cells as well as their nutritional regulation by the diet and their altered methylation and/or expression in rodent models of diabetes and in type 2 diabetic islets. We also discuss imprinted genes in the context of the next generation, where dietary overnutrition in the parents can lead to their deregulation in the offspring, alongside beta cell dysfunction and defective glucose handling. Both the modulation of imprinted gene expression and the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood are susceptible to the impact of nutritional status in early life. Imprinted loci, therefore, represent an excellent opportunity with which to assess epigenomic changes in beta cells due to the diet in both the current and next generation.

Human exposure to flame-retardants is associated with aberrant DNA methylation at imprinted genes in sperm

Emerging evidence suggests that early exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals has long-term consequences that can influence disease risk in offspring. During gametogenesis, imprinted genes are reasonable epigenetic targets with the ability to retain and transfer environmental messages. We hypothesized that exposures to organophosphate (OP) flame-retardants can alter DNA methylation in human sperm cells affecting offspring's health. Sperm and urine samples were collected from 67 men in North Carolina, USA. Urinary metabolites of a chlorinated OP, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, and two non-chlorinated OPs, triphenyl phosphate and mono-isopropylphenyl diphenyl phosphate, were measured using liquid-chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry. Sperm DNA methylation at multiple CpG sites of the regulatory differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of imprinted genes GRB10, H19, IGF2, MEG3, NDN, NNAT, PEG1/MEST, PEG3, PLAGL1, SNRPN, and SGCE/PEG10 was quantified using bisulfite pyrosequencing. Regression models were used to determine potential associations between OP concentrations and DNA methylation. We found that men with higher concentrations of urinary OP metabolites, known to originate from flame-retardants, have a slightly higher fraction of sperm cells that are aberrantly methylated. After adjusting for age, obesity-status and multiple testing, exposure to mono-isopropylphenyl diphenyl phosphate was significantly related to hypermethylation at the MEG3, NDN, SNRPN DMRs. Exposure to triphenyl phosphate was associated with hypermethylation at the GRB10 DMR; and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate exposure was associated with altered methylation at the MEG3 and H19 DMRs. Although measured methylation differences were small, implications for public health can be substantial. Interestingly, our data indicated that a multiplicity of OPs in the human body is associated with increased DNA methylation aberrancies in sperm, compared to exposure to few OPs. Further research is required in larger study populations to determine if our findings can be generalized.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Followed by CRIPSR/Cas9 Microinjection Results in Highly Efficient Genome Editing in Cloned Pigs

The domestic pig is an ideal "dual purpose" animal model for agricultural and biomedical research. With the availability of genome editing tools such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and associated nuclease Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9), it is now possible to perform site-specific alterations with relative ease, and will likely help realize the potential of this valuable model. In this article, we investigated for the first time a combination of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and direct injection of CRISPR/Cas ribonucleoprotein complex targeting GRB10 into the reconstituted oocytes to generate GRB10 ablated Ossabaw fetuses. This strategy resulted in highly efficient (100%) generation of biallelic modifications in cloned fetuses. By combining SCNT with CRISPR/Cas9 microinjection, genome edited animals can now be produced without the need to manage a founder herd, while simultaneously eliminating the need for laborious in vitro culture and screening. Our approach utilizes standard cloning techniques while simultaneously performing genome editing in the cloned zygotes of a large animal model for agriculture and biomedical applications.

Carrageenan Inhibits Insulin Signaling through GRB10-mediated Decrease in Tyr(P)-IRS1 and through Inflammation-induced Increase in Ser(P)307-IRS1

Inflammation induced by exposure to the common food additive carrageenan leads to insulin resistance by increase in Ser(P)(307)-insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and subsequent decline in the insulin-stimulated increase in Ser(P)(473)-AKT. Inhibition of carrageenan-induced inflammation reversed the increase in Ser(P)(307)-IRS1 but did not completely reverse the carrageenan-induced decline in Ser(P)(473)-AKT. To identify the additional mechanism responsible for the decrease in Ser(P)(473)-AKT, studies were performed in human HepG2 cells and in C57BL/6J mice. Following carrageenan, expression of GRB10 (growth factor receptor-bound 10 protein), an adaptor protein that binds to the insulin receptor and inhibits insulin signaling, increased significantly. GRB10 silencing blocked the carrageenan-induced reduction of the insulin-stimulated increase in Tyr(P)-IRS1 and partially reversed the decline in Ser(P)(473)-AKT. The combination of GRB10 silencing with BCL10 silencing and the reactive oxygen species inhibitor Tempol completely reversed the decline in Ser(P)(473)-AKT. After carrageenan, GRB10 promoter activity was enhanced because of activation by GATA2. A direct correlation between Ser(P)(473)-AKT and Ser(P)(401)-GATA2 was evident, and inhibition of AKT phosphorylation by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 blocked Ser(401)-GATA2 phosphorylation and the increase in GRB10 expression. Studies indicated that carrageenan inhibited insulin signaling by two mechanisms: through the inflammation-mediated increase in Ser(P)(307)-IRS1, a negative regulator of insulin signaling, and through a transcriptional mechanism leading to increase in GRB10 expression and GRB10-inhibition of Tyr(P)-IRS1, a positive regulator of insulin signaling. These mechanisms converge to inhibit the insulin-induced increase in Ser(P)(473)-AKT. They provide internal feedback, mediated by Ser(P)(473)-AKT, Ser(P)(401)-GATA2, and nuclear GATA2, which links the opposing effects of serine and tyrosine phosphorylations of IRS1 and can modulate insulin responsiveness.

Antagonistic roles in fetal development and adult physiology for the oppositely imprinted Grb10 and Dlk1 genes

Background

Despite being a fundamental biological problem the control of body size and proportions during development remains poorly understood, although it is accepted that the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway has a central role in growth regulation, probably in all animals. The involvement of imprinted genes has also attracted much attention, not least because two of the earliest discovered were shown to be oppositely imprinted and antagonistic in their regulation of growth. The Igf2 gene encodes a paternally expressed ligand that promotes growth, while maternally expressed Igf2r encodes a cell surface receptor that restricts growth by sequestering Igf2 and targeting it for lysosomal degradation. There are now over 150 imprinted genes known in mammals, but no other clear examples of antagonistic gene pairs have been identified. The delta-like 1 gene (Dlk1) encodes a putative ligand that promotes fetal growth and in adults restricts adipose deposition. Conversely, Grb10 encodes an intracellular signalling adaptor protein that, when expressed from the maternal allele, acts to restrict fetal growth and is permissive for adipose deposition in adulthood.

Results

Here, using knockout mice, we present genetic and physiological evidence that these two factors exert their opposite effects on growth and physiology through a common signalling pathway. The major effects are on body size (particularly growth during early life), lean:adipose proportions, glucose regulated metabolism and lipid storage in the liver. A biochemical pathway linking the two cell signalling factors remains to be defined.

Conclusions

We propose that Dlk1 and Grb10 define a mammalian growth axis that is separate from the IGF pathway, yet also features an antagonistic imprinted gene pair.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-014-0099-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tissue-specific regulation and function of Grb10 during growth and neuronal commitment

Growth-factor receptor bound protein 10 (Grb10) is a signal adapter protein encoded by an imprinted gene that has roles in growth control, cellular proliferation, and insulin signaling. Additionally, Grb10 is critical for the normal behavior of the adult mouse. These functions are paralleled by Grb10's unique tissue-specific imprinted expression; the paternal copy of Grb10 is expressed in a subset of neurons whereas the maternal copy is expressed in most other adult tissues in the mouse. The mechanism that underlies this switch between maternal and paternal expression is still unclear, as is the role for paternally expressed Grb10 in neurons. Here, we review recent work and present complementary data that contribute to the understanding of Grb10 gene regulation and function, with specific emphasis on growth and neuronal development. Additionally, we show that in vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into alpha motor neurons recapitulates the switch from maternal to paternal expression observed during neuronal development in vivo. We postulate that this switch in allele-specific expression is related to the functional role of Grb10 in motor neurons and other neuronal tissues.

Growth receptor binding protein 10 inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin release from pancreatic β-cells associated with suppression of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling pathway

Growth receptor binding protein 10 (Grb10) is an adaptor protein that interacts with the insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptor. Overexpression of Grb10 in muscle cells and adipocytes inhibits insulin signalling, and transgenic mice overexpressing Grb10 exhibit impaired glucose tolerance. However, the roles of Grb10 in β-cells remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of Grb10 on β-cell function. The effects of Grb10 on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and the insulin/IGF-1 signalling pathway were investigated in rat islets and/or dispersed islet cells with Grb10 overexpresion by adenovirus transfection. Protein expression was detected by western blot analysis. We found that Grb10 was expressed in both human and rat pancreas. Expression of Grb10 was increased in islets isolated from rats fed a high-fat plus high-sugar diet compared with islets isolated from rats fed normal chow diet, as well as in INS 832/13 cells exposed to high levels of glucose (20 mmol/L), palmitate (1 mmol/L) and interleukin-1β (50 U/mL). Overexpression of Grb10 in INS 832/13 cells or rat islets impaired GSIS compared with the respective control (all P < 0.05). Moreover, inhibition of GSIS by Grb10 overexpression was associated with a decrease in insulin- and IGF-1-induced Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. The results of the present study demonstrate that Grb10 is an important negative regulator of insulin/IGF-1 signalling in pancreatic β-cells and a potential target to improve β-cell function.

Development of an alternative non-obese non-genetic rat model of type 2 diabetes using caffeine and streptozotocin

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to develop an alternative non-obese non-genetic rat model of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

Six-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups, namely: Normal Control (NC), Diabetic Control (DBC), Caffeine 5mg/kg BW+STZ (CAF5), Caffeine 10mg/kg BW+STZ (CAF10), Caffeine 20mg/kg BW+STZ (CAF20) and Caffeine 40mg/kg BW+STZ (CAF40) and were fed a normal rat pellet diet and drinking water ad libitum throughout the experimental period. After a one week acclimatization period, diabetes was induced in the animals in DBC and all CAF groups with an injection (i.p.) of the respective dosages of caffeine (mg/kg BW) 15min before the injection of STZ (65mg/kg BW) when normal saline was injected to the DBC group instead of caffeine. The NC group received normal saline and buffer instead of caffeine and STZ, respectively. One week after the STZ injection, animals with non-fasting blood glucose>300mg/dl were considered as diabetic. Three weeks after the STZ injection, the animals in the CAF5 and CAF10 groups were eliminated from the study due to the severity of diabetes and the experiment was continued with the remainder groups for a 13 weeks period.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The data of food and fluid intake, body weight, blood glucose, glucose tolerance test, HOMA-IR, HOMA-beta, serum insulin, fructosamine, lipid profile and organ specific enzymes, anti-diabetic drug response tests, and pancreatic histopathology suggest that CAF20 group can be a better alternative non-genetic model of non-obese T2D.

Regulation of insulin and type 1 insulin-like growth factor signaling and action by the Grb10/14 and SH2B1/B2 adaptor proteins

The effects of insulin and type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) on metabolism, growth and survival are mediated by their association with specific receptor tyrosine kinases, which results in both receptor and substrate phosphorylation. Phosphotyrosine residues on receptors and substrates provide docking sites for signaling proteins containing SH2 (Src homology 2) domains, including molecular adaptors. This review focuses on the regulation of insulin/IGF-1 signaling and action by two adaptor families with a similar domain organization: the growth factor receptor-bound proteins Grb7/10/14 and the SH2B proteins. Both Grb10/14 and SH2B1/B2 associate with the activation loop of insulin/IGF-1 receptors through their SH2 domains, but association of Grb10/14 also involves their unique BPS domain. Consistent with Grb14 binding as a pseudosubstrate to the kinase active site, insulin/IGF-induced activation of receptors and downstream signaling pathways in cultured cells is inhibited by Grb10/14 adaptors, but is potentiated by SH2B1/B2 adaptors. Accordingly, Grb10 and Grb14 knockout mice show improved insulin/IGF sensitivity in vivo, and, for Grb10, overgrowth and increased skeketal muscle and pancreatic β-cell mass. Conversely, SH2B1-depleted mice display insulin and IGF-1 resistance, with peripheral depletion leading to reduced adiposity and neuronal depletion leading to obesity through associated leptin resistance. Grb10/14 and SH2B1 adaptors also modulate insulin/IGF-1 action by interacting with signaling components downstream of receptors and exert several tissue-specific effects. The identification of Grb10/14 and SH2B1 as physiological regulators of insulin signaling and action, together with observations that variants at their gene loci are associated with obesity and/or insulin resistance, highlight them as potential therapeutic targets for these conditions.

Disruption of growth factor receptor-binding protein 10 in the pancreas enhances β-cell proliferation and protects mice from streptozotocin-induced β-cell apoptosis

Defects in insulin secretion and reduction in β-cell mass are associated with type 2 diabetes in humans, and understanding the basis for these dysfunctions may reveal strategies for diabetes therapy. In this study, we show that pancreas-specific knockout of growth factor receptor-binding protein 10 (Grb10), which is highly expressed in pancreas and islets, leads to elevated insulin/IGF-1 signaling in islets, enhanced β-cell mass and insulin content, and increased insulin secretion in mice. Pancreas-specific disruption of Grb10 expression also improved glucose tolerance in mice fed with a high-fat diet and protected mice from streptozotocin-induced β-cell apoptosis and body weight loss. Our study has identified Grb10 as an important regulator of β-cell proliferation and demonstrated that reducing the expression level of Grb10 could provide a novel means to increase β-cell mass and reduce β-cell apoptosis. This is critical for effective therapeutic treatment of both type 1 and 2 diabetes.

DNA methylation profiling identifies epigenetic dysregulation in pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic patients

In addition to genetic predisposition, environmental and lifestyle factors contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Epigenetic changes may provide the link for translating environmental exposures into pathological mechanisms. In this study, we performed the first comprehensive DNA methylation profiling in pancreatic islets from T2D and non-diabetic donors. We uncovered 276 CpG loci affiliated to promoters of 254 genes displaying significant differential DNA methylation in diabetic islets. These methylation changes were not present in blood cells from T2D individuals nor were they experimentally induced in non-diabetic islets by exposure to high glucose. For a subgroup of the differentially methylated genes, concordant transcriptional changes were present. Functional annotation of the aberrantly methylated genes and RNAi experiments highlighted pathways implicated in β-cell survival and function; some are implicated in cellular dysfunction while others facilitate adaptation to stressors. Together, our findings offer new insights into the intricate mechanisms of T2D pathogenesis, underscore the important involvement of epigenetic dysregulation in diabetic islets and may advance our understanding of T2D aetiology.

Paternal deletion of Meg1/Grb10 DMR causes maternalization of the Meg1/Grb10 cluster in mouse proximal Chromosome 11 leading to severe pre- and postnatal growth retardation

Mice with maternal duplication of proximal Chromosome 11 (MatDp(prox11)), where Meg1/Grb10 is located, exhibit pre- and postnatal growth retardation. To elucidate the responsible imprinted gene for the growth abnormality, we examined the precise structure and regulatory mechanism of this imprinted region and generated novel model mice mimicking the pattern of imprinted gene expression observed in the MatDp(prox11) by deleting differentially methylated region of Meg1/Grb10 (Meg1-DMR). It was found that Cobl and Ddc, the neighboring genes of Meg1/Grb10, also comprise the imprinted region. We also found that the mouse-specific repeat sequence consisting of several CTCF-binding motifs in the Meg1-DMR functions as a silencer, suggesting that the Meg1/Grb10 imprinted region adopted a different regulatory mechanism from the H19/Igf2 region. Paternal deletion of the Meg1-DMR (+/DeltaDMR) caused both upregulation of the maternally expressed Meg1/Grb10 Type I in the whole body and Cobl in the yolk sac and loss of paternally expressed Meg1/Grb10 Type II and Ddc in the neonatal brain and heart, respectively, demonstrating maternalization of the entire Meg1/Grb10 imprinted region. We confirmed that the +/DeltaDMR mice exhibited the same growth abnormalities as the MatDp(prox11) mice. Fetal and neonatal growth was very sensitive to the expression level of Meg1/Grb10 Type I, indicating that the 2-fold increment of the Meg1/Grb10 Type I is one of the major causes of the growth retardation observed in the MatDp(prox11) and +/DeltaDMR mice. This suggests that the corresponding human GRB10 Type I plays an important role in the etiology of Silver-Russell syndrome caused by partial trisomy of 7p11-p13.