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García-Eguren G, González-Ramírez M, Vizán P, Giró O, Vega-Beyhart A, Boswell L, Mora M, Halperin I, Carmona F, Gracia M, Casals G, Squarcia M, Enseñat J, Vidal O, Di Croce L, Hanzu FA. Glucocorticoid-induced Fingerprints on Visceral Adipose Tissue Transcriptome and Epigenome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022; 107:150-166. [PMID: 34487152 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Chronic glucocorticoid (GC) overexposure, resulting from endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) or exogenous GC therapy, causes several adverse outcomes, including persistent central fat accumulation associated with a low-grade inflammation. However, no previous multiomics studies in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from patients exposed to high levels of unsuppressed GC during active CS or after remission are available yet. OBJECTIVE To determine the persistent VAT transcriptomic alterations and epigenetic fingerprints induced by chronic hypercortisolism. METHODS We employed a translational approach combining high-throughput data on endogenous CS patients and a reversible CS mouse model. We performed RNA sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing on histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K27ac, and H3K27me3) to identify persistent transcriptional and epigenetic signatures in VAT produced during active CS and maintained after remission. RESULTS VAT dysfunction was associated with low-grade proinflammatory status, macrophage infiltration, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Most notably, chronic hypercortisolism caused a persistent circadian rhythm disruption in VAT through core clock genes modulation. Importantly, changes in the levels of 2 histone modifications associated to gene transcriptional activation (H3K4me3 and H3K27ac) correlated with the observed differences in gene expression during active CS and after CS remission. CONCLUSION We identified for the first time the persistent transcriptional and epigenetic signatures induced by hypercortisolism in VAT, providing a novel integrated view of molecular components driving the long-term VAT impairment associated with CS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo García-Eguren
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mar González-Ramírez
- Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Vizán
- Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oriol Giró
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arturo Vega-Beyhart
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Boswell
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mireia Mora
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Halperin
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Carmona
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Meritxell Gracia
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gregori Casals
- Biomedical Diagnostics Centre, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mattia Squarcia
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Radiology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquim Enseñat
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrine Surgery Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar Vidal
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luciano Di Croce
- Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Felicia A Hanzu
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Vega-Beyhart A, Iruarrizaga M, Pané A, García-Eguren G, Giró O, Boswell L, Aranda G, Flores V, Casals G, Alonso C, Mora M, Halperin I, Carmona F, Enseñat J, Vidal O, Hu T, Rojo G, Gomis R, Hanzu FA. Endogenous cortisol excess confers a unique lipid signature and metabolic network. J Mol Med (Berl) 2021; 99:1085-1099. [PMID: 33881561 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02076-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Chronic cortisol excess induces several alterations on protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism resembling those found in the metabolic syndrome. However, patients exposed to prolonged high levels of cortisol in Cushing syndrome (CS) present exceeding cardiometabolic alterations not reflected by conventional biomarkers. Using 3 ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) platforms, we aimed to characterise the serum metabolome of 25 patients with active endogenous CS and 25 control subjects matched by propensity score (sex, BMI, diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D), high blood pressure (HBP) and dyslipidaemia) to search for potential disease-specific biomarkers and pathways associated to the clinical comorbidities. A total of 93 metabolites were significantly altered in patients with CS. Increased levels of sulfur amino acids (AA), triacylglycerols, glycerophospholipids, ceramides and cholesteryl esters were observed. Contrarily, concentrations of essential and non-essential AA, polyunsaturated fatty acids, conjugated bile acids and second messenger glycerolipids were decreased. Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (24h-UFC) independently determined the concentration of 21 lipids and 4 AA. A metabolic signature composed by 10 AA and 10 lipid metabolites presented an AUC-ROC of 95% for the classification of CS patients. Through differential network analysis, 152 aberrant associations between metabolites involved in the Lands cycle and Kennedy pathway were identified. Our data indicates that chronic hypercortisolemia confers a unique lipidomic signature and several alterations in numerous AA even when compared to patients with similar metabolic comorbidities providing novel insights of the increased cardiometabolic burden of CS. KEY MESSAGES: • Cortisol excess induces metabolic alterations beyond conventional biomarkers. • The hypercortisolism extent determines the concentration of 21 lipids and 5 aa. • Cortisol excess confers a unique metabolic signature of 20 metabolites. • Kennedy and Lands cycle are profoundly disturbed by cortisol excess.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Vega-Beyhart
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Adriana Pané
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Guillermo García-Eguren
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oriol Giró
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Boswell
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gloria Aranda
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vanesa Flores
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gregori Casals
- Biomedical diagnostics Centre, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Mireia Mora
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Halperin
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Oscar Vidal
- Surgery Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ting Hu
- School of Computing, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Gemma Rojo
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Clinical Management Unit. Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ramon Gomis
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.,Laboratory of Diabetes and Obesity, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Felicia A Hanzu
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain. .,Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. .,Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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García-Eguren G, Sala-Vila A, Giró O, Vega-Beyhart A, Hanzu FA. Long-term hypercortisolism induces lipogenesis promoting palmitic acid accumulation and inflammation in visceral adipose tissue compared with HFD-induced obesity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2020; 318:E995-E1003. [PMID: 32315213 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00516.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) play critical roles in adipose tissue metabolism. Here, we compare in a mouse model the effects of chronic glucocorticoid excess and diet-induced obesity on white adipose tissue mass and distribution, by focusing on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) fatty acid composition changes, the role of de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and the inflammatory state. We used a noninvasive mouse model of hypercortisolism to compare GC-induced effects on adipose tissue with diet-induced obesity [high-fat diet (HFD) 45%] and control mice after 10 wk of treatment. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and VAT mass and distribution were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI). Fatty acid composition in VAT was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatography. Gene expression of key enzymes involved in DNL was analyzed in liver and VAT. Macrophage infiltration markers and proinflammatory cytokines were measured by gene expression in VAT. HFD or GC treatment induced similar fat mass expansion with comparable distribution between SAT and VAT depots. However, in VAT, GCs induce DNL, higher palmitic acid (PA), macrophage infiltration, and proinflammatory cytokine levels, accompanied by systemic nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) elevation, hyperinsulinemia, and higher homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels compared with diet-induced obesity. Thus, chronic hypercortisolism induces DNL and fatty acid composition changes toward increased SFA and reduced polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels in VAT, promoting macrophage recruitment and proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting a worse cardiometabolic profile even compared with HFD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aleix Sala-Vila
- Lipid Clinic, Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Oriol Giró
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Felicia A Hanzu
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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García-Eguren G, Giró O, Romero MDM, Grasa M, Hanzu FA. Chronic hypercortisolism causes more persistent visceral adiposity than HFD-induced obesity. J Endocrinol 2019; 242:65-77. [PMID: 31117053 DOI: 10.1530/joe-19-0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Excessive and prolonged glucocorticoid (GC) exposure, resulting from either prescribed or endogenous hypercortisolism, is associated with a high cardiovascular and metabolic burden (Cushing's syndrome). Although previous studies in humans and mice have reported heterogeneous data about the persistence of metabolic syndrome features after remission of hypercortisolism, there is still controversy as to whether this is due to the deleterious changes induced by GCs during active disease or the result of various other factors interfering in the recovery period. In order to study metabolic effects after remission, we used a reversible mouse model of corticosterone (CORT) (100 µg/mL) administration in drinking water for 5 weeks, followed by a 10-week recovery period. We compared CORT-induced effects at these time points with a high-fat diet-treated group (HFD 45%) and a vehicle group (VEH). Plasma CORT, 11β-HSD activity, food intake, glucose levels, interscapular brown adiposity, hepatic triglycerides and muscle mass were found altered during CORT treatment but normalized after recovery. Although hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance were increased during CORT and HFD treatment, insulin homeostasis remained altered following the recovery period only in CORT-treated mice. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues (SAT and VAT) were enlarged during HFD and CORT treatment as measured by MRI. However, increased muscle lipid content, adiposity and macrophage infiltration in VAT were only present in the CORT group following recovery. Taken together, CORT-induced insulin alterations were more potent than HFD-induced ones during the same period of treatment, and also more persistent long term. Moreover, we demonstrated that CORT treatment induces more long-lasting VAT enlargement than HFD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oriol Giró
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Romero
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Section of Nutrition, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Grasa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Section of Nutrition, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Felicia A Hanzu
- Group of Endocrine Disorders, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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