Both saturated and n-6 polyunsaturated fat diets reduce phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and protein kinase B in muscle during the initial stages of in Vivo insulin stimulation

Our aim was to determine the importance of changes in phosphorylation of key insulin signaling intermediates in the insulin resistance observed in skeletal muscle of rats fed diets high in saturated or n-6 polyunsaturated fat. We used phospho-specific antibodies to measure the time course of phosphorylation of key components of the insulin signaling pathway by immunoblotting during the initial stages of a physiological elevation in the circulating insulin concentration. The phosphorylation of insulin receptor at Tyr1162/1163 (IR Tyr1162/1163) increased over 20 min of insulin infusion, whereas the downstream phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 Tyr612 (IRS-1 Tyr612) peaked at 5 min and declined thereafter. Interestingly, phosphorylation of IRS-1 at Tyr895 continued to increase over the 20-min period, and protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation at Ser473 reached a plateau by 5 min, demonstrating that different profiles of phosphorylation are involved in transmission of the insulin signal despite a constant level of insulin stimulation. In muscle from rats fed high n-6 polyunsaturated or saturated fat diets, however, there was no insulin-stimulated increase in IRS-1 Tyr612 phosphorylation and a temporal difference in PKB Ser473 phosphorylation despite no difference in IR Tyr1162/1163 phosphorylation, IRS-1 Tyr895 phosphorylation, and ERK phosphorylation. These results demonstrate that under conditions of increased insulin, similar to those used to assess insulin action in vivo, chronic high-fat feeding impairs insulin signal transduction related to glucose metabolism at the level of IRS-1 Tyr612 and PKB Ser473 and that these effects are independent of the type of fat used in the high-fat diet

Regulation of the nuclear hormone receptor nur77 in muscle: Influence of exercise-activated pathways in vitro and obesity in vivo

Regular physical exercise is well known to improve glucose and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle. However, the transcription factors regulating these adaptive changes are not well-characterised. Recently the nuclear orphan receptor nur77 was shown to be induced by exercise and linked to regulation of metabolic gene expression in skeletal muscle. In this study we investigated the regulation of nur77 in muscle by different exercise-activated pathways. Nur77 expression was found to be responsive to adrenergic stimulation and calcium influx, but not to activation of the AMP dependent kinase. These results identify the adrenergic-cyclic AMP-PKA pathway to be the most potent activator of nur77 expression in muscle and therefore the likely cause of increased expression after exercise. We also identified nur77 expression to be reduced in the muscle of obese/insulin resistant rats after high fat feeding. Furthermore exposure to fatty acids, insulin or inflammation was not the cause of decreased nur77 expression in insulin resistant muscle. This suggests a reduced responsiveness to adrenergic stimulation as the likely cause of diminished nur77 expression in muscle of high fat fed rats, which has been observed in obese/insulin resistant individuals. Our results suggest adrenergic stimulation as the most important stimulus for nur77 expression and point to a significant role for this transcription factor in adaptive changes in muscle after exercise and in insulin resistant states

Enhancement of muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity and alterations in insulin action are lipid species dependent potent tissue-specific effects of medium-chain fatty acids

Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) have been reported to be less obesogenic than long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs); however, relatively little is known regarding their effect on insulin action. Here, we examined the tissue-specific effects of MCFAs on lipid metabolism and insulin action. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - C57BL6/J mice and Wistar rats were fed either a low-fat control diet or high-fat diets rich in MCFAs or LCFAs for 4-5 weeks, and markers of mitochondrial oxidative capacity, lipid levels, and insulin action were measured. RESULTS - Mice fed the MCFA diet displayed reduced adiposity and better glucose tolerance than LCFA-fed animals. In skeletal muscle, triglyceride levels were increased by the LCFA diet (77%, P < 0.01) but remained at low-fat diet control levels in the MCFA-fed animals. The LCFA diet increased (20-50%, P < 0.05) markers of mitochondrial metabolism in muscle compared with low-fat diet-fed controls; however; the increase in oxidative capacity was substantially greater in MCFA-fed animals (50-140% versus low-fat-fed controls, P < 0.01). The MCFA diet induced a greater accumulation of liver triglycerides than the LCFA diet, likely due to an upregulation of several lipogenic enzymes. In rats, isocaloric feeding of MCFA or LCFA high-fat diets induced hepatic insulin resistance to a similar degree; however, insulin action was preserved at the level of low-fat diet-fed controls in muscle and adipose from MCFA-fed animals. CONCLUSIONS - MCFAs reduce adiposity and preserve insulin action in muscle and adipose, despite inducing steatosis and insulin resistance in the liver. Dietary supplementation with MCFAs may therefore be beneficial for preventing obesity and peripheral insulin resistance

Saturated- and n-6 Polyunsaturated-Fat Diets Each Induce Ceramide Accumulation in Mouse Skeletal Muscle: Reversal and Improvement of Glucose Tolerance by Lipid Metabolism Inhibitors

Lipid-induced insulin resistance is associated with intracellular accumulation of inhibitory intermediates depending on the prevalent fatty acid (FA) species. In cultured myotubes, ceramide and phosphatidic acid (PA) mediate the effects of the saturated FA palmitate and the unsaturated FA linoleate, respectively. We hypothesized that myriocin (MYR), an inhibitor of de novo ceramide synthesis, would protect against glucose intolerance in saturated fat-fed mice, while lisofylline (LSF), a functional inhibitor of PA synthesis, would protect unsaturated fat-fed mice. Mice were fed diets enriched in saturated fat, n-6 polyunsaturated fat, or chow for 6 wk. Saline, LSF (25 mg/kg · d), or MYR (0.3 mg/kg · d) were administered by mini-pumps in the final 4 wk. Glucose homeostasis was examined by glucose tolerance test. Muscle ceramide and PA were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Expression of LASS isoforms (ceramide synthases) was evaluated by immunoblotting. Both saturated and polyunsaturated fat diets increased muscle ceramide and induced glucose intolerance. MYR and LSF reduced ceramide levels in saturated and unsaturated fat-fed mice. Both inhibitors also improved glucose tolerance in unsaturated fat-fed mice, but only LSF was effective in saturated fat-fed mice. The discrepancy between ceramide and glucose tolerance suggests these improvements may not be related directly to changes in muscle ceramide and may involve other insulin-responsive tissues. Changes in the expression of LASS1 were, however, inversely correlated with alterations in glucose tolerance. The demonstration that LSF can ameliorate glucose intolerance in vivo independent of the dietary FA type indicates it may be a novel intervention for the treatment of insulin resistance

Time-dependent effects of Prkce deletion on glucose homeostasis and hepatic lipid metabolism on dietary lipid oversupply in mice

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We examined the time-dependent effects of deletion of the gene encoding protein kinase C epsilon (Prkce) on glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion and hepatic lipid metabolism in fat-fed mice. METHODS: Prkce(-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice were fed a high-fat diet for 1 to 16 weeks and subjected to i.p. glucose tolerance tests (ipGTT) and indirect calorimetry. We also investigated gene expression and protein levels by RT-PCR, quantitative protein profiling (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification; iTRAQ) and immunoblotting. Lipid levels, mitochondrial oxidative capacity and lipid metabolism were assessed in liver and primary hepatocytes. RESULTS: While fat-fed WT mice became glucose intolerant after 1 week, Prkce(-/-) mice exhibited normal glucose and insulin levels. iTRAQ suggested differences in lipid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation between fat-fed WT and Prkce(-/-) animals. Liver triacylglycerols were increased in fat-fed Prkce(-/-) mice, resulting from altered lipid partitioning which promoted esterification of fatty acids in hepatocytes. In WT mice, fat feeding elevated oxygen consumption in vivo and in isolated liver mitochondria, but these increases were not seen in Prkce(-/-) mice. Prkce(-/-) hepatocytes also exhibited reduced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of palmitate. After 16 weeks of fat feeding, however, the improved glucose tolerance in fat-fed Prkce(-/-) mice was instead associated with increased insulin secretion during ipGTT, as we have previously reported. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Prkce deletion ameliorates diet-induced glucose intolerance via two temporally distinct phenotypes. Protection against insulin resistance is associated with changes in hepatic lipid partitioning, which may reduce the acute inhibitory effects of fatty acid catabolism, such as ROS generation. In the longer term, enhancement of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion prevails

Inflammation is necessary for long-term but not short-term high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance

OBJECTIVE Tissue inflammation is a key factor underlying insulin resistance in established obesity. Several models of immuno-compromised mice are protected from obesity-induced insulin resistance. However, it is unanswered whether inflammation triggers systemic insulin resistance or vice versa in obesity. The purpose of this study was to assess these questions. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to wild-type mice and three different immuno-compromised mouse models (lymphocyte-deficient Rag1 knockout, macrophage-depleted, and hematopoietic cell-specific Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase-deficient mice) and measured the time course of changes in macrophage content, inflammatory markers, and lipid accumulation in adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle along with systemic insulin sensitivity. RESULTS In wild-type mice, body weight and adipose tissue mass, as well as insulin resistance, were clearly increased by 3 days of HFD. Concurrently, in the short-term HFD period inflammation was selectively elevated in adipose tissue. Interestingly, however, all three immuno-compromised mouse models were not protected from insulin resistance induced by the short-term HFD. On the other hand, lipid content was markedly increased in liver and skeletal muscle at day 3 of HFD. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the initial stage of HFD-induced insulin resistance is independent of inflammation, whereas the more chronic state of insulin resistance in established obesity is largely mediated by macrophage-induced proinflammatory actions. The early-onset insulin resistance during HFD feeding is more likely related to acute tissue lipid overload