Role of hepatic glucose production in the development of diabetes and obesity

Le diabète de type 2 se caractérise par une résistance à l’insuline dans les tissus périphériques, une déficience de sécrétion d’insuline et une augmentation de la production endogène de glucose. Notre but a été de démontrer le rôle spécifique de la production hépatique de glucose dans le développement du diabète. Nous avons développé un modèle de souris invalidées pour le gène codant pour la sous-unité catalytique de la G6Pase, enzyme clé de la production de glucose, spécifiquement dans le foie. Sous alimentation diabétogène, les souris transgéniques résistent au développement de l’hyperglycémie et l’hyperinsulinémie, et présentent une amélioration de la sensibilité à l’insuline et une augmentation du captage périphérique de glucose. Ces souris résistent également à l’obésité induite par ce régime déséquilibré, en liaison avec l’augmentation de la dépense énergétique, associée à l’induction des médiateurs de la thermogenèse dans les tissus adipeux brun et blanc, et au remodelage du muscle squelettique vers un phénotype oxydative. La délétion de la G6PC hépatique chez des souris rendues obèses et diabétiques résulte en une amélioration spectaculaire et rapide du métabolisme glucidique, et une stabilisation de la masse corporelle des souris obèses, associée à une induction des gènes du métabolisme oxydative dans les tissus périphériques.Ces effets bénéfiques pourraient être dus à l’augmentation de la sécrétion de facteurs hépatiques circulants connus pour réguler le métabolisme énergétique et glucidique dans les tissus périphériques. Ces travaux démontrent le rôle délétère de la production hépatique de glucose dans le développement du diabète et de l’obésitéType 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance of glucose uptake by peripheral tissues, insulin secretion deficiency and increased endogenous glucose production. Our aim is to demonstrate the specific role of hepatic glucose production in triggering insulin resistance and diabetes. For that, we developed an inducible and liver-specific knock-out mouse model for the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of G6Pase, a key enzyme of glucose production. When fed a high fat/high sucrose diet, transgenic mice resisted to the development of fasting hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, and even showed enhanced insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in peripheral tissues. These mice are also resistant to diet induced obesity, due to the induction of basal metabolism, associated with increased brown and white adipose tissue thermogenesis machinery and remodeling of skeletal muscle towards a more oxidative phenotype. When liver G6pc deletion was realized in obese and diabetic mice, this resulted in a spectacular and early amelioration of glucose metabolism compared to that before liver G6pc deletion, and to stabilization of body mass of obese mice, which was associated with induction of oxidative genes in peripheral tissues. These beneficial effects could be explained by the secretion of hepatic circulating hormones known to control glucose and energy metabolism in peripheral tissues. This work underlines the deleterious role of hepatic glucose production in the development of obesity and diabetes, and sets the liver as a master-switch in the regulation of whole-body glucose and energy metabolis

The suppression of hepatic glucose production improves metabolism and insulin sensitivity in subcutaneous adipose tissue in mice

Despite the strong correlation between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis is associated with greater whole-body insulin sensitivity in several models. We previously reported that the inhibition of hepatic glucose production (HGP) protects against the development of obesity and diabetes despite severe steatosis, thanks to the secretion of specific hepatokines such as fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and angiopoietin-related growth factor. In this work, we focused on adipose tissue to assess whether liver metabolic fluxes might, by interorgan communication, control insulin signalling in lean animals. Insulin signalling was studied in the adipose tissue of mice lacking the catalytic subunit of glucose 6-phosphatase, the key enzyme in endogenous glucose production, in the liver (L-G6pc (-/-) mice). Morphological and metabolic changes in the adipose tissues were characterised by histological analyses, gene expression and protein content. Mice lacking HGP exhibited improved insulin sensitivity of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway in the subcutaneous adipose tissue associated with a browning of adipocytes. The suppression of HGP increased FGF21 levels in lean animals, and increased FGF21 was responsible for the metabolic changes in the subcutaneous adipose tissue but not for its greater insulin sensitivity. The latter might be linked to an increase in the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acids released by the liver. Our work provides evidence that HGP controls subcutaneous adipose tissue browning and insulin sensitivity through two pathways: the release of beneficial hepatokines and changes in hepatic fatty acids profile

A link between hepatic glucose production and peripheral energy metabolism via hepatokines.

International audienceABSTRACTType 2 diabetes is characterized by a deterioration of glucose tolerance, which associates insulinresistance of glucose uptake by peripheral tissues and increased endogenous glucose production.Here we report that the specific suppression of hepatic glucose production positively modulateswhole-body glucose and energy metabolism. We used mice deficient in liver glucose-6 phosphatasethat is mandatory for endogenous glucose production. When they were fed a high fat/high sucrosediet, they resisted the development of diabetes and obesity due to the activation of peripheralglucose metabolism and thermogenesis. This was linked to the secretion of hepatic hormones likefibroblast growth factor 21 and angiopoietin-like factor 6. Interestingly, the deletion of hepaticglucose-6 phosphatase in previously obese and insulin-resistant mice resulted in the rapidrestoration of glucose and body weight controls. Therefore, hepatic glucose production is anessential lever for the control of whole-body energy metabolism during the development of obesityand diabetes