Human APOE ɛ3 and APOE ɛ4 Alleles Have Differential Effects on Mouse Olfactory Epithelium

DNA methylation patterns of FKBP5 regulatory regions in brain and blood of humanized mice and humans

Humanized mouse models can be used to explore human gene regulatory elements (REs), which frequently lie in non-coding and less conserved genomic regions. Epigenetic modifications of gene REs, also in the context of gene x environment interactions, have not yet been explored in humanized mouse models. We applied high-accuracy measurement of DNA methylation (DNAm) via targeted bisulfite sequencing (HAM-TBS) to investigate DNAm in three tissues/brain regions (blood, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus) of mice carrying the human FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene, an important candidate gene associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. We explored DNAm in three functional intronic glucocorticoid-responsive elements (at introns 2, 5, and 7) of FKBP5 at baseline, in cases of differing genotype (rs1360780 single nucleotide polymorphism), and following application of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone. We compared DNAm patterns in the humanized mouse (N = 58) to those in human peripheral blood (N = 447 and N = 89) and human postmortem brain prefrontal cortex (N = 86). Overall, DNAm patterns in the humanized mouse model seem to recapitulate DNAm patterns observed in human tissue. At baseline, this was to a higher extent in brain tissue. The animal model also recapitulated effects of dexamethasone on DNAm, especially in peripheral blood and to a lesser extent effects of genotype on DNAm. The humanized mouse model could thus assist in reverse translation of human findings in psychiatry that involve genetic and epigenetic regulation in non-coding elements.

Effects of apolipoprotein E on regulating insulin sensitivity via regulating insulin receptor signalosome in caveolae

AIMS

Although impaired insulin signaling at a post-receptor level was a well-established key driver of insulin resistance, the role of surface abnormal insulin receptor (INSR) location in insulin resistance pathogenesis tended to be ignored and its molecular mechanisms remained obscure. Herein, this study aimed to investigate hepatic apolipoprotein E (APOE) impaired cellular insulin action via reducing cell surface INSR, especially in caveolae.

KEY FINDINGS

Downregulation of APOE enhanced the caveolae translocation of INSR and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2), and improved hepatic cells' sensitivity to insulin. Consistently, mice with selective suppression of liver tissue APOE showed lower fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels, better homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) index (HOMA-IS, HOMA-IR, HOMA-β) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Furthermore, the co-localization of INSR and CAV1 in the liver of these mice were more substantial than controls.

SIGNIFICANCE

APOE might adversely set the basal gain of INSR signaling implied that APOE could be a new endogenous INSR regulator.