Neuronal Modulation of Brown Adipose Activity Through Perturbation of White Adipocyte Lipogenesis [preprint]

White adipose tissue (WAT) secretes factors to communicate with other metabolic organs to maintain energy homeostasis. We previously reported that perturbation of adipocyte de novo lipogenesis (DNL) by deletion of fatty acid synthase (FASN) causes expansion of sympathetic neurons within white adipose tissue (WAT) and the appearance of beige adipocytes. Here we report evidence that white adipocyte DNL activity is also coupled to neuronal regulation and thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Induced deletion of FASN in all adipocytes in mature mice (iAdFASNKO) enhanced sympathetic innervation and neuronal activity as well as UCP1 expression in both WAT and BAT. In contrast, selective ablation of FASN in brown adipocytes of mice (iUCP1FASNKO) failed to modulate sympathetic innervation and the thermogenic program in BAT. Surprisingly, DNL in brown adipocytes was also dispensable in maintaining euthermia when UCP1FASNKO mice were cold-exposed. These results indicate that DNL in white adipocytes influences long distance signaling to BAT, which can modify BAT sympathetic innervation and expression of genes involved in thermogenesis

Activation of mTORC1 is essential for beta-adrenergic stimulation of adipose browning

A classic metabolic concept posits that insulin promotes energy storage and adipose expansion, while catecholamines stimulate release of adipose energy stores by hydrolysis of triglycerides through beta-adrenergic receptor (betaARs) and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. Here, we have shown that a key hub in the insulin signaling pathway, activation of p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K1) through mTORC1, is also triggered by PKA activation in both mouse and human adipocytes. Mice with mTORC1 impairment, either through adipocyte-specific deletion of Raptor or pharmacologic rapamycin treatment, were refractory to the well-known betaAR-dependent increase of uncoupling protein UCP1 expression and expansion of beige/brite adipocytes (so-called browning) in white adipose tissue (WAT). Mechanistically, PKA directly phosphorylated mTOR and RAPTOR on unique serine residues, an effect that was independent of insulin/AKT signaling. Abrogation of the PKA site within RAPTOR disrupted betaAR/mTORC1 activation of S6K1 without affecting mTORC1 activation by insulin. Conversely, a phosphomimetic RAPTOR augmented S6K1 activity. Together, these studies reveal a signaling pathway from betaARs and PKA through mTORC1 that is required for adipose browning by catecholamines and provides potential therapeutic strategies to enhance energy expenditure and combat metabolic disease

Single Cell RNA Profiling Reveals Adipocyte to Macrophage Signaling Sufficient to Enhance Thermogenesis [preprint]

The “browning” of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) through increased abundance of thermogenic beige/brite adipocytes is induced by cold exposure and many other perturbations in association with beneficial systemic metabolic effects. Adipose browning is reported to require activation of sympathetic nerve fibers (SNF), aided by alternately activated macrophages within iWAT. Here we demonstrate the first example of a non-cell autonomous pathway for iWAT browning that is fully independent of SNF activity. Thus, the strong induction of thermogenic adipocytes prompted by deletion of adipocyte fatty acid synthase (iAdFASNKO mice) was unaffected by denervation or the deletion of SNF modulator Neuregulin-4. However, browning of iWAT in iAdFASNKO mice does require adipocyte cAMP/protein kinase A signaling, as it was blocked in adipocyte- selective Fasn/Gsα double KO mice. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of iAdFASNKO mouse adipose stromal cells revealed increased macrophages displaying gene expression signatures of the alternately activated type. Mechanistically, depletion of such phagocytic immune cells in iAdFASNKO mice fully abrogated appearance of thermogenic adipocytes in iWAT. Altogether, these findings reveal an unexpected pathway of cAMP/PKA-dependent iWAT browning that is initiated by adipocyte signals and caused by macrophage-like cells independent of sympathetic neuron involvement

Control of Adipocyte Thermogenesis and Lipogenesis through beta3-Adrenergic and Thyroid Hormone Signal Integration

Here, we show that beta adrenergic signaling coordinately upregulates de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and thermogenesis in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT), and both effects are blocked in mice lacking the cAMP-generating G protein-coupled receptor Gs (Adipo-GsalphaKO) in adipocytes. However, UCP1 expression but not DNL activation requires rapamycin-sensitive mTORC1. Furthermore, beta3-adrenergic agonist CL316243 readily upregulates thermogenic but not lipogenic genes in cultured adipocytes, indicating that additional regulators must operate on DNL in sWAT in vivo. We identify one such factor as thyroid hormone T3, which is elevated locally by adrenergic signaling. T3 administration to wild-type mice enhances both thermogenesis and DNL in sWAT. Mechanistically, T3 action on UCP1 expression in sWAT depends upon cAMP and is blocked in Adipo-GsalphaKO mice even as elevated DNL persists. Thus, T3 enhances sWAT thermogenesis by amplifying cAMP signaling, while its control of adipocyte DNL can be mediated independently of both cAMP and rapamycin-sensitive mTORC1

CRISPR-enhanced human adipocyte \u27browning\u27 as cell therapy for metabolic disease [preprint]

Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with poor tissue responses to insulin [1,2], disturbances in glucose and lipid fluxes [3-5] and comorbidities including steatohepatitis [6] and cardiovascular disease [7,8]. Despite extensive efforts at prevention and treatment [9,10], diabetes afflicts over 400 million people worldwide [11]. Whole body metabolism is regulated by adipose tissue depots [12-14], which include both lipid-storing white adipocytes and less abundant \u27brown\u27 and \u27brite/beige\u27 adipocytes that express thermogenic uncoupling protein UCP1 and secrete factors favorable to metabolic health [15-18]. Application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) gene editing [19,20] to enhance \u27browning\u27 of white adipose tissue is an attractive therapeutic approach to T2D. However, the problems of cell-selective delivery, immunogenicity of CRISPR reagents and long term stability of the modified adipocytes are formidable. To overcome these issues, we developed methods that deliver complexes of SpyCas9 protein and sgRNA ex vivo to disrupt the thermogenesis suppressor gene NRIP1 [21,22] with near 100% efficiency in human or mouse adipocytes. NRIP1 gene disruption at discrete loci strongly ablated NRIP1 protein and upregulated expression of UCP1 and beneficial secreted factors, while residual Cas9 protein and sgRNA were rapidly degraded. Implantation of the CRISPR-enhanced human or mouse brown-like adipocytes into high fat diet fed mice decreased adiposity and liver triglycerides while enhancing glucose tolerance compared to mice implanted with unmodified adipocytes. These findings advance a therapeutic strategy to improve metabolic homeostasis through CRISPR-based genetic modification of human adipocytes without exposure of the recipient to immunogenic Cas9 or delivery vectors

Stimulation of IRS-1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt/protein kinase B but not glucose transport by beta1-integrin signaling in rat adipocytes

The signal transduction pathway by which insulin stimulates glucose transport is not understood, but a role for complexes of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase as well as for Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) has been proposed. Here, we present evidence suggesting that formation of IRS-1/PI 3-kinase complexes and Akt/PKB activation are insufficient to stimulate glucose transport in rat adipocytes. Cross-linking of beta1-integrin on the surface of rat adipocytes by anti-beta1-integrin antibody and fibronectin was found to cause greater IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation, IRS-1-associated PI 3-kinase activity, and Akt/PKB activation, detected by anti-serine 473 antibody, than did 1 nM insulin. Clustering of beta1-integrin also significantly potentiated stimulation of insulin receptor and IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation, IRS-associated PI 3-kinase activity, and Akt/PKB activation caused by submaximal concentrations of insulin. In contrast, beta1-integrin clustering caused neither a change in deoxyglucose transport nor an effect on the ability of insulin to stimulate deoxyglucose uptake at any concentration along the entire dose-response relationship range. The data suggest that (i) beta1-integrins can engage tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in isolated fat cells, potentially regulating fat cell functions and (ii) either formation of IRS-1/PI 3-kinase complexes and Akt/PKB activation is not necessary for regulation of glucose transport in fat cells or an additional signaling pathway is required

Cross-talk between insulin receptor and integrin alpha5 beta1 signaling pathways

The ligation and clustering of cell surface alphabeta heterodimeric integrins enhances cell adhesion and initiates signaling pathways that regulate such processes as cell spreading, migration, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Here we show that insulin treatment of Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing insulin receptors (CHO-T) markedly promotes cell adhesion onto a fibronectin matrix, but not onto bovine serum albumin or poly-lysine. Incubation of cells with a GRGDSP peptide that specifically binds integrins (but not the nonspecific GRADSP peptide) abolishes this insulin effect, as does the potent phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor wortmannin. Moreover, a specific blocking monoclonal anti-alpha5beta1 integrin antibody, PB-1, blocks insulin-stimulated cell adhesion onto fibronectin. Conversely, activating alpha5beta1 integrins on CHO-T cells by adherence onto fibronectin markedly potentiates the action of insulin to enhance insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. Activation of alpha5beta1 integrin also markedly potentiates the recruitment of p85-associated PI 3-kinase activity to IRS-1 in response to submaximal levels of insulin in CHO-T cells. These data indicate that insulin potently activates integrin alpha5beta1 mediated CHO-T cell adhesion, while integrin alpha5beta1 signaling in turn enhances insulin receptor kinase activity and formation of complexes containing IRS-1 and PI 3-kinase. These findings raise the hypothesis that insulin receptor and alpha5beta1 integrin signaling act synergistically to enhance cell adhesion

Mouse p170 is a novel phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase containing a C2 domain

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinases catalyze the formation of 3\u27-phosphoinositides, which appear to promote cellular responses to growth factors and such membrane trafficking events as insulin-stimulated translocation of intracellular glucose transporters. We report here the cloning of a novel PI 3-kinase, p170, from cDNA of insulin-sensitive mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Mouse p170 utilizes PI and to a limited extent PI 4-P as substrates, in contrast to the PI-specific yeast VPS34 homolog PtdIns 3-kinase and the p110 PI 3-kinases, which phosphorylate PI, PI 4-P, and PI 4,5-P2. Mouse p170 is also distinct from PtdIns 3-kinase or the p110 PI 3-kinases in exhibiting a 10-fold lower sensitivity to wortmannin. Unique structural elements of p170 include C-terminal sequences strikingly similar to the phosphoinositide-binding C2 domain of protein kinase C isoforms, synaptotagmins, and other proteins. These features of mouse p170 are shared with a recently cloned Drosophila PI 3-kinase, DmPI3K_68D. Together, these proteins define a new class of PI 3-kinase likely influenced by cellular regulators distinct from those acting upon p110- or VPS34-like PI 3-kinases