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Liu L, Dattaroy D, Simpson KF, Barella LF, Cui Y, Xiong Y, Jin J, König GM, Kostenis E, Roman JC, Kaestner KH, Doliba NM, Wess J. α-cell Gq signaling is critical for maintaining euglycemia. JCI Insight 2021; 6:152852. [PMID: 34752420 PMCID: PMC8783673 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.152852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucagon, a hormone released from pancreatic α cells, plays a key role in maintaining euglycemia. New insights into the signaling pathways that control glucagon secretion may stimulate the development of novel therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated the potential regulation of α cell function by G proteins of the Gq family. The use of a chemogenetic strategy allowed us to selectively activate Gq signaling in mouse α cells in vitro and in vivo. Acute stimulation of α cell Gq signaling led to elevated plasma glucagon levels, accompanied by increased insulin release and improved glucose tolerance. Moreover, chronic activation of this pathway greatly improved glucose tolerance in obese mice. We also identified an endogenous Gq-coupled receptor (vasopressin 1b receptor; V1bR) that was enriched in mouse and human α cells. Agonist-induced activation of the V1bR strongly stimulated glucagon release in a Gq-dependent fashion. In vivo studies indicated that V1bR-mediated glucagon release played a key role in the counterregulatory hyperglucagonemia under hypoglycemic and glucopenic conditions. These data indicate that α cell Gq signaling represents an important regulator of glucagon secretion, resulting in multiple beneficial metabolic effects. Thus, drugs that target α cell–enriched Gq-coupled receptors may prove useful to restore euglycemia in various pathophysiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Liu
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Diptadip Dattaroy
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Katherine F Simpson
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Luiz F Barella
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Yinghong Cui
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Yan Xiong
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
| | - Jian Jin
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States of America
| | - Gabriele M König
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Evi Kostenis
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jefferey C Roman
- Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States of America
| | - Klaus H Kaestner
- Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadeplhia, United States of America
| | - Nicolai M Doliba
- Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadeplhia, United States of America
| | - Jürgen Wess
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, United States of America
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Liu TC, Kern JT, Jain U, Sonnek NM, Xiong S, Simpson KF, VanDussen KL, Winkler ES, Haritunians T, Malique A, Lu Q, Sasaki Y, Storer C, Diamond MS, Head RD, McGovern DPB, Stappenbeck TS. Western diet induces Paneth cell defects through microbiome alterations and farnesoid X receptor and type I interferon activation. Cell Host Microbe 2021; 29:988-1001.e6. [PMID: 34010595 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal Paneth cells modulate innate immunity and infection. In Crohn's disease, genetic mutations together with environmental triggers can disable Paneth cell function. Here, we find that a western diet (WD) similarly leads to Paneth cell dysfunction through mechanisms dependent on the microbiome and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and type I interferon (IFN) signaling. Analysis of multiple human cohorts suggests that obesity is associated with Paneth cell dysfunction. In mouse models, consumption of a WD for as little as 4 weeks led to Paneth cell dysfunction. WD consumption in conjunction with Clostridium spp. increased the secondary bile acid deoxycholic acid levels in the ileum, which in turn inhibited Paneth cell function. The process required excess signaling of both FXR and IFN within intestinal epithelial cells. Our findings provide a mechanistic link between poor diet and inhibition of gut innate immunity and uncover an effect of FXR activation in gut inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Chiang Liu
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Justin T Kern
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Umang Jain
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Naomi M Sonnek
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Shanshan Xiong
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Katherine F Simpson
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kelli L VanDussen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Emma S Winkler
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Talin Haritunians
- The F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 90048, USA
| | - Atika Malique
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Qiuhe Lu
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Yo Sasaki
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chad Storer
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Richard D Head
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Dermot P B McGovern
- The F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 90048, USA
| | - Thaddeus S Stappenbeck
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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VanDussen KL, Stojmirović A, Li K, Liu TC, Kimes PK, Muegge BD, Simpson KF, Ciorba MA, Perrigoue JG, Friedman JR, Towne JE, Head RD, Stappenbeck TS. Abnormal Small Intestinal Epithelial Microvilli in Patients With Crohn's Disease. Gastroenterology 2018; 155:815-828. [PMID: 29782846 PMCID: PMC6378688 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Crohn disease (CD) presents as chronic and often progressive intestinal inflammation, but the contributing pathogenic mechanisms are unclear. We aimed to identify alterations in intestinal cells that could contribute to the chronic and progressive course of CD. METHODS We took an unbiased system-wide approach by performing sequence analysis of RNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded ileal tissue sections from patients with CD (n = 36) and without CD (controls; n = 32). We selected relatively uninflamed samples, based on histology, before gene expression profiling; validation studies were performed using adjacent serial tissue sections. A separate set of samples (3 control and 4 CD samples) was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. We developed methods to visualize an overlapping modular network of genes dysregulated in the CD samples. We validated our findings using biopsy samples (110 CD samples for gene expression analysis and 54 for histologic analysis) from the UNITI-2 phase 3 trial of ustekinumab for patients with CD and healthy individuals (26 samples used in gene expression analysis). RESULTS We identified gene clusters that were altered in nearly all CD samples. One cluster encoded genes associated with the enterocyte brush border, leading us to investigate microvilli. In ileal tissues from patients with CD, the microvilli were of decreased length and had ultrastructural defects compared with tissues from controls. Microvilli length correlated with expression of genes that regulate microvilli structure and function. Network analysis linked the microvilli cluster to several other down-regulated clusters associated with altered intracellular trafficking and cellular metabolism. Enrichment of a core microvilli gene set also was lower in the UNITI-2 trial CD samples compared with controls; expression of microvilli genes was correlated with microvilli length and endoscopy score and was associated with response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS In a transcriptome analysis of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded ileal tissues from patients with CD and controls, we associated transcriptional alterations with histologic alterations, such as differences in microvilli length. Decreased microvilli length and decreased expression of the microvilli gene set might contribute to epithelial malfunction and the chronic and progressive disease course in patients with CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli L. VanDussen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Aleksandar Stojmirović
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Katherine Li
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Ta-Chiang Liu
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Patrick K. Kimes
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Brian D. Muegge
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Katherine F. Simpson
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Matthew A. Ciorba
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jacqueline G. Perrigoue
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Joshua R. Friedman
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Jennifer E. Towne
- Department of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. 1400 McKean Rd., Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Richard D. Head
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Correspondence: Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck,
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