PEG-BHD1028 Peptide Regulates Insulin Resistance and Fatty Acid β-Oxidation, and Mitochondrial Biogenesis by Binding to Two Heterogeneous Binding Sites of Adiponectin Receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2

Adiponectin plays multiple critical roles in modulating various physiological processes by binding to its receptors. The functions of PEG-BHD1028, a potent novel peptide agonist to AdipoRs, was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models based on the reported action spectrum of adiponectin. To confirm the design concept of PEG-BHD1028, the binding sites and their affinities were analyzed using the SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) assay. The results revealed that PEG-BHD1028 was bound to two heterogeneous binding sites of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 with a relatively high affinity. In C2C12 cells, PEG-BHD1028 significantly activated AMPK and subsequent pathways and enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis. Furthermore, it also facilitated glucose uptake by lowering insulin resistance in insulin-resistant C2C12 cells. PEG-BHD1028 significantly reduced the fasting plasma glucose level in db/db mice following a single s.c. injection of 50, 100, and 200 μg/Kg and glucose tolerance at a dose of 50 μg/Kg with significantly decreased insulin production. The animals received 5, 25, and 50 μg/Kg of PEG-BHD1028 for 21 days significantly lost their weight after 18 days in a range of 5-7%. These results imply the development of PEG-BHD1028 as a potential adiponectin replacement therapeutic agent.

Cardioprotection of ischemic preconditioning in rats involves upregulating adiponectin

It has been reported that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and adiponectin (APN) are cardioprotective in many cardiovascular disorders. However, whether APN mediates the effect of IPC on myocardial injury has not been elucidated. This study was conducted to investigate whether IPC affects myocardial ischemic injury by increasing APN expression. Male adult rats with cardiac knockdowns of APN and its receptors via intramyocardial small-interfering RNA injection were subjected to IPC and then myocardial infarction (MI) at 24 h after IPC. Globular APN (gAd) was injected at 10 min before MI. APN mRNA and protein levels in myocardium as well as the plasma APN concentration were markedly high at 6 and 12 h after IPC. IPC ameliorated myocardial injury as evidenced by improved cardiac functions and a reduced infarct size. Compared with the control MI group, rats in the IPC + MI group had elevated levels of left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening and a smaller MI size (P < 0.05). However, the aforementioned protective effects were ameliorated in the absence of APN and APN receptors, followed by the inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation, but reversed by gAd treatment in wild-type rats, and AMPK phosphorylation increased (P < 0.05). Overall, our results suggest that the cardioprotective effects of IPC are partially due to upregulation of APN and provide a further insight into IPC-mediated signaling effects.

Inducible overexpression of adiponectin receptors highlight the roles of adiponectin-induced ceramidase signaling in lipid and glucose homeostasis

Objective

Adiponectin and the signaling induced by its cognate receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, have garnered attention for their ability to promote insulin sensitivity and oppose steatosis. Activation of these receptors promotes the deacylation of ceramide, a lipid metabolite that appears to play a causal role in impairing insulin signaling.

Methods

Here, we have developed transgenic mice that overexpress AdipoR1 or AdipoR2 under the inducible control of a tetracycline response element. These represent the first inducible genetic models that acutely manipulate adiponectin receptor signaling in adult mouse tissues, which allows us to directly assess AdipoR signaling on glucose and lipid metabolism.

Results

Overexpression of either adiponectin receptor isoform in the adipocyte or hepatocyte is sufficient to enhance ceramidase activity, whole body glucose metabolism, and hepatic insulin sensitivity, while opposing hepatic steatosis. Importantly, metabolic improvements fail to occur in an adiponectin knockout background. When challenged with a leptin-deficient genetic model of type 2 diabetes, AdipoR2 expression in adipose or liver is sufficient to reverse hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance.

Conclusion

These observations reveal that adiponectin is critical for AdipoR-induced ceramidase activation which enhances hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism via rapidly acting “cross-talk” between liver and adipose tissue sphingolipids.

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Adiponectin receptor signaling in adipose prompts beneficial effects on whole-body glucose and lipid metabolism.

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The small molecule adiponectin receptor antagonist AdipoRon lowers hepatic ceramides.

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Depletion of ceramides in adipocytes results in diminished hepatic ceramide accumulation.

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Depletion of ceramides in hepatocytes results in diminished adipose sphingolipid accumulation.

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Adiponectin is essential for the beneficial effects of adiponectin receptors on glucose, ceramide, and lipid metabolism.

Lipogenesis in myoblasts and its regulation of CTRP6 by AdipoR1/Erk/PPARγ signaling pathway

The induced lipogenesis and its regulation in C2C12 myoblasts remain largely unclear. Here, we found that the cocktail method could significantly induce lipogenesis through regulating lipid metabolic genes and Erk1/2 phosphorylation in myoblasts. Meanwhile, the expression and secretion of CTRP6 were increased during ectopic lipogenesis. Moreover, CTRP6 knockdown down-regulated the levels of lipogenic genes and phosphorylated Erk1/2 (p-Erk1/2) in the early lipogenic stage, whereas up-regulated p-Erk1/2 in the terminal differentiation. Interestingly, the effect of CTRP6 siRNA was attenuated by U0126 (a special p-Erk1/2 inhibitor) in myoblasts. Furthermore, AdipoR1, not AdipoR2, was first identified as a receptor of CTRP6 during the process of mitotic clonal expansion. Collectively, we suggest that CTRP6 mediates the ectopic lipogenesis through AdipoR1/Erk/PPARγ signaling pathway in myoblasts. Our findings will shed light on the novel biological function of CTRP6 during myoblast lipogenesis and provide a hopeful direction of improving meat quality of domestic animal by lipogenic regulation in skeletal muscle myoblasts.

Drosophila adiponectin receptor in insulin producing cells regulates glucose and lipid metabolism by controlling insulin secretion

Adipokines secreted from adipose tissue are key regulators of metabolism in animals. Adiponectin, one of the adipokines, modulates pancreatic beta cell function to maintain energy homeostasis. Recently, significant conservation between Drosophila melanogaster and mammalian metabolism has been discovered. Drosophila insulin like peptides (Dilps) regulate energy metabolism similarly to mammalian insulin. However, in Drosophila, the regulatory mechanism of insulin producing cells (IPCs) by adipokine signaling is largely unknown. Here, we describe the discovery of the Drosophila adiponectin receptor and its function in IPCs. Drosophila adiponectin receptor (dAdipoR) has high homology with the human adiponectin receptor 1. The dAdipoR antibody staining revealed that dAdipoR was expressed in IPCs of larval and adult brains. IPC- specific dAdipoR inhibition (Dilp2>dAdipoR-Ri) showed the increased sugar level in the hemolymph and the elevated triglyceride level in whole body. Dilps mRNA levels in the Dilp2>dAdipoR-Ri flies were similar with those of controls. However, in the Dilp2>dAdipoR-Ri flies, Dilp2 protein was accumulated in IPCs, the level of circulating Dilp2 was decreased, and insulin signaling was reduced in the fat body. In ex vivo fly brain culture with the human adiponectin, Dilp2 was secreted from IPCs. These results indicate that adiponectin receptor in insulin producing cells regulates insulin secretion and controls glucose and lipid metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster. This study demonstrates a new adipokine signaling in Drosophila and provides insights for the mammalian adiponectin receptor function in pancreatic beta cells, which could be useful for therapeutic application.

Identification of adipokine receptor agonists and turning them to antagonists

Receptor-ligand interactions represent one of the most basic processes in biological systems. Receptor activation and deactivation induce or prevent a series of downstream signaling events that ultimately result in normal or abnormal cellular functions. Contemporary biology is in continuous search for the identification of novel receptors and their ligands. The adipose tissue participates in the regulation of energy homeostasis as an important endocrine organ that secretes a number of biologically active adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin. A recent discovery and design process for leptin and adiponectin receptor response modifier peptides can be generalized to a series of transmembrane receptor ligands. A family of 11-13 amino acid residue-long leptin receptor (ObR) agonists has been identified by analyzing the effect of peptides corresponding to the three presumed active sites of leptin on the growth of leptin-responsive cancer cells. In the case of adiponectin, overlapping peptides were walked across the entire globular domain of the protein to identify the active site and derive adiponectin receptor (AdipoR) agonist peptides. In both sets, native residues were replaced by nonnatural analogs to improve the pharmacological properties including stability, efficacy and targeting. Later the ObR analogs were converted into true ObR antagonists that show antagonist-agonist selectivity of 1,000 in cellular assays. The design process of ObR antagonists included shortening of the peptide length and incorporating additional nonnatural residues. Here I take a look into this receptor agonist and antagonist discovery process from a practical point of view.

Globular adiponectin counteracts VCAM-1-mediated monocyte adhesion via AdipoR1/NF-κB/COX-2 signaling in human aortic endothelial cells

Adiponectin (Ad) is an insulin-sensitizing adipocytokine with anti-inflammatory and vasoprotective properties. Cleavage of native full-length Ad (fAd) by elastases from activated monocytes generates globular Ad (gAd). Increased gAd levels are observed in the proximity of atherosclerotic lesions, but the physiological meaning of this proteolytic Ad fragment in the cardiovascular system is controversial. We compared molecular and biological properties of fAd and gAd in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). In control HAEC, both fAd and gAd acutely stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production by AMPK-dependent pathways. With respect to fAd, gAd more efficiently increased activation of NF-κB signaling pathways, resulting in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression and COX-2-dependent prostacyclin 2 (PGI(2)) release. In contrast with fAd, gAd also increased p38 MAPK phosphorylation and VCAM-1 expression, ultimately enhancing adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells. In HAEC lacking AdipoR1 (by siRNA), both activation of NF-κB as well as COX-2 overexpression by gAd were abrogated. Conversely, gAd-mediated p38MAPK activation and VCAM-1 expression were unaffected, and monocyte adhesion was greatly enhanced. In HAEC lacking COX-2 (by siRNA), reduced levels of PGI(2) further increased gAd-dependent monocyte adhesion. Our findings suggest that biological activities of fAd and gAd in endothelium do not completely overlap, with gAd possessing both AdipoR1-dependent ability to stimulate COX-2 expression and AdipoR1-independent effects related to expression of VCAM-1 and adhesion of monocytes to endothelium.