Intestinal gluconeogenesis is crucial to maintain a physiological fasting glycemia in the absence of hepatic glucose production in mice

International audienceOBJECTIVE: Similar to the liver and kidneys, the intestine has been strongly suggested to be a gluconeogenic organ. However, the precise contribution of the intestine to endogenous glucose production (EGP) remains to be determined. To define the quantitative role of intestinal gluconeogenesis during long-term fasting, we compared changes in blood glucose during prolonged fasting in mice with a liver-deletion of the glucose-6 phosphatase catalytic (G6PC) subunit (LKO) and in mice with a combined deletion of G6PC in both the liver and the intestine (ILKO). MATERIALS/METHODS: The LKO and ILKO mice were studied after 6h and 40 h of fasting by measuring metabolic and hormonal plasmatic parameters, as well as the expression of gluconeogenic enzymes in the liver, kidneys and intestine. RESULTS: After a transient hypoglycemic episode (approximately 60 mg/dL) because of their incapacity to mobilize liver glycogen, the LKO mice progressively re-increased their plasma glucose to reach a glycemia comparable to that of wild-type mice (90 mg/dL) from 30 h of fasting. This increase was associated with a rapid induction of renal and intestinal gluconeogenic gene expression, driven by glucagon, glucocorticoids and acidosis. The ILKO mice exhibited a similar induction of renal gluconeogenesis. However, these mice failed to re-increase their glycemia and maintained a plasma glucose level of only 60 mg/dL throughout the 48 h-fasting period. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that intestinal glucose production is essential to maintain glucose homeostasis in the absence of hepatic glucose production during fasting. These data provide a definitive quantitative estimate of the capacity of intestinal gluconeogenesis to sustain EGP during long-term fasting

Effets rénoprotecteurs des fenofibrates dans un modèle murin de néphropathie

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Protein-induced satiety is abolished in the absence of intestinal gluconeogenesis.

International audienceProtein-enriched diets are well known to initiate satiety effects in animals and humans. It has been recently suggested that this might be dependent on the induction of gluconeogenesis in the intestine. The resulting intestinal glucose release, detected by a "so-called" glucose sensor located within the walls of the portal vein and connected to peripheral afferents, activates hypothalamic nuclei involved in the regulation of food intake, in turn initiating a decrease in hunger. To definitively demonstrate the role of intestinal gluconeogenesis in this mechanism, we tested the food intake response to a protein-enriched diet in mice with an intestine-specific deletion (using an inducible Cre/loxP strategy) of the glucose-6 phosphatase gene (I-G6pc(-/-) mice) encoding the mandatory enzyme for glucose production. There was no effect on food intake in I-G6pc(-/-) mice fed on a standard rodent diet compared to their wild-type counterparts. After switching to a protein-enriched diet, the food intake of wild-type mice decreased significantly (by about 20% of daily calorie intake), subsequently leading to a decrease of 12 ± 2% of initial body weight after 8 days. On the contrary, I-G6pc(-/-) mice were insensitive to the satiety effect induced by a protein-enriched diet and preserved their body weight. These results provide molecular evidence of the causal role of intestinal gluconeogenesis in the satiety phenomenon initiated by protein-enriched diets

Hepatic lentiviral gene transfer prevents the long-term onset of hepatic tumours of glycogen storage disease type 1a in mice

International audienceGlycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a) is a rare disease due to the deficiency in theglucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (encoded by G6pc), which is essential forendogenous glucose production. Despite strict diet control to maintain blood glucose, patientswith GSD1a develop hepatomegaly, steatosis and then hepatocellular adenomas (HCA),which can undergo malignant transformation. Recently, gene therapy has attracted attention asa potential treatment for GSD1a. In order to maintain long-term transgene expression, wedeveloped an HIV-based vector, which allowed us to specifically express the human G6PCcDNA in the liver. We analysed the efficiency of this lentiviral vector in the prevention of thedevelopment of the hepatic disease in an original GSD1a mouse model, which exhibitsG6Pase deficiency exclusively in the liver (L-G6pc-/- mice). Recombinant lentivirus wereinjected in B6.G6pcex3lox/ex3lox.SAcreERT2/w neonates and G6pc deletion was induced bytamoxifen treatment at weaning. Magnetic resonance imaging was then performed to followup the development of hepatic tumours. Lentiviral gene therapy restored glucose-6phosphatase activity sufficient to correct fasting hypoglycaemia during 9 months. Moreover,lentivirus-treated L-G6pc-/- mice presented normal hepatic triglyceride levels, whereasuntreated mice developed steatosis. Glycogen stores were also decreased although liverweight remained high. Interestingly, lentivirus-treated L-G6pc-/- mice were protected againstthe development of hepatic tumours after 9 months of gene therapy while most of untreated LG6pc-/-mice developed millimetric HCA. Thus the treatment of new-borns by recombinantlentivirus appears as an attractive approach to protect the liver from the development ofsteatosis and hepatic tumours associated to GSD1a pathology

Mu-opioid receptors and dietary protein stimulate a gut-brain neural circuitry limiting food intake.

International audienceIntestinal gluconeogenesis is involved in the control of food intake. We show that mu-opioid receptors (MORs) present in nerves in the portal vein walls respond to peptides to regulate a gut-brain neural circuit that controls intestinal gluconeogenesis and satiety. In vitro, peptides and protein digests behave as MOR antagonists in competition experiments. In vivo, they stimulate MOR-dependent induction of intestinal gluconeogenesis via activation of brain areas receiving inputs from gastrointestinal ascending nerves. MOR-knockout mice do not carry out intestinal gluconeogenesis in response to peptides and are insensitive to the satiety effect induced by protein-enriched diets. Portal infusions of MOR modulators have no effect on food intake in mice deficient for intestinal gluconeogenesis. Thus, the regulation of portal MORs by peptides triggering signals to and from the brain to induce intestinal gluconeogenesis are links in the satiety phenomenon associated with alimentary protein assimilation

Microtubule Dynamics Scale with Cell Size to Set Spindle Length and Assembly Timing.

Successive cell divisions during embryonic cleavage create increasingly smaller cells, so intracellular structures must adapt accordingly. Mitotic spindle size correlates with cell size, but the mechanisms for this scaling remain unclear. Using live cell imaging, we analyzed spindle scaling during embryo cleavage in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. We reveal a common scaling mechanism, where the growth rate of spindle microtubules scales with cell volume, which explains spindle shortening. Spindle assembly timing is, however, constant throughout successive divisions. Analyses in silico suggest that controlling the microtubule growth rate is sufficient to scale spindle length and maintain a constant assembly timing. We tested our in silico predictions to demonstrate that modulating cell volume or microtubule growth rate in vivo induces a proportional spindle size change. Our results suggest that scalability of the microtubule growth rate when cell size varies adapts spindle length to cell volume

Progressive development of renal cysts in glycogen storage disease type I

International audienceGlycogen storage disease type I (GSDI) is a rare metabolic disease due to glucose-6 phosphatase deficiency, characterized by fasting hypoglycemia. Patients also develop chronic kidney disease whose mechanisms are poorly understood. To decipher the process, we generated mice with a kidney-specific knockout of glucose-6 phosphatase (K.G6pc-/- mice) that exhibited the first signs of GSDI nephropathy after 6 months of G6pc deletion. We studied the natural course of renal deterioration in K.G6pc-/- mice for 18 months and observed the progressive deterioration of renal functions characterized by early tubular dysfunction and a later destruction of the glomerular filtration barrier. After 15 months, K.G6pc-/- mice developed tubular-glomerular fibrosis and podocyte injury, leading to the development of cysts and renal failure. On the basis of these findings, we were able to detect the development of cysts in 7 out of 32 GSDI patients, who developed advanced renal impairment. Of these 7 patients, 3 developed renal failure. In addition, no renal cysts were detected in six patients who showed early renal impairment. In conclusion, renal pathology in GSDI is characterized by progressive tubular dysfunction and the development of polycystic kidneys that probably leads to the development of irreversible renal failure in the late stages. Systematic observations of cyst development by kidney imaging should improve the evaluation of the disease's progression, independently of biochemical markers