The phosphoinositide-binding protein p40phox activates the NADPH oxidase during FcγIIA receptor–induced phagocytosis

Superoxide produced by the phagocyte reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase is essential for host defense. Enzyme activation requires translocation of p67phox, p47phox, and Rac-GTP to flavocytochrome b558 in phagocyte membranes. To examine the regulation of phagocytosis-induced superoxide production, flavocytochrome b558, p47phox, p67phox, and the FcγIIA receptor were expressed from stable transgenes in COS7 cells. The resulting COSphoxFcγR cells produce high levels of superoxide when stimulated with phorbol ester and efficiently ingest immunoglobulin (Ig)G-coated erythrocytes, but phagocytosis did not activate the NADPH oxidase. COS7 cells lack p40phox, whose role in the NADPH oxidase is poorly understood. p40phox contains SH3 and phagocyte oxidase and Bem1p (PB1) domains that can mediate binding to p47phox and p67phox, respectively, along with a PX domain that binds to phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P), which is generated in phagosomal membranes. Expression of p40phox was sufficient to activate superoxide production in COSphoxFcγR phagosomes. FcγIIA-stimulated NADPH oxidase activity was abrogated by point mutations in p40phox that disrupt PI(3)P binding, or by simultaneous mutations in the SH3 and PB1 domains. Consistent with an essential role for PI(3)P in regulating the oxidase complex, phagosome NADPH oxidase activation in primary macrophages ingesting IgG-coated beads was inhibited by phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase inhibitors to a much greater extent than phagocytosis itself. Hence, this study identifies a role for p40phox and PI(3)P in coupling FcγR-mediated phagocytosis to activation of the NADPH oxidase

Divergent compensatory responses to high-fat diet between C57BL6/J and C57BLKS/J inbred mouse strains

Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are polygenic disorders with complex pathophysiologies; recapitulating them with mouse models is challenging. Despite 70% genetic homology, C57BL/6J (BL6) and C57BLKS/J (BLKS) inbred mouse strains differ in response to diet- and genetic-induced obesity. We hypothesized these differences would yield insight into IGT and T2DM susceptibility and response to pharmacological therapies. To this end, male 8-wk-old BL6 and BLKS mice were fed normal chow (18% kcal from fat), high-fat diet (HFD; 42% kcal from fat), or HFD supplemented with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone (PIO; 140 mg PIO/kg diet) for 16 wk. Assessments of body composition, glucose homeostasis, insulin production, and energy metabolism, as well as histological analyses of pancreata were undertaken. BL6 mice gained weight and adiposity in response to HFD, leading to peripheral insulin resistance that was met with increased β-cell proliferation and insulin production. By contrast, BLKS mice responded to HFD by restricting food intake and increasing activity. These behavioral responses limited weight gain and protected against HFD-induced glucose intolerance, which in this strain was primarily due to β-cell dysfunction. PIO treatment did not affect HFD-induced weight gain in BL6 mice, and decreased visceral fat mass, whereas in BLKS mice PIO increased total fat mass without improving visceral fat mass. Differences in these responses to HFD and effects of PIO reflect divergent human responses to a Western lifestyle and underscore the careful consideration needed when choosing mouse models of diet-induced obesity and diabetes treatment

Mouse and human islets survive and function after coating by biosilicification

Inorganic materials have properties that can be advantageous in bioencapsulation for cell transplantation. Our aim was to engineer a hybrid inorganic/soft tissue construct by inducing pancreatic islets to grow an inorganic shell. We created pancreatic islets surrounded by porous silica, which has potential application in the immunoprotection of islets in transplantation therapies for type 1 diabetes. The new method takes advantage of the islet capsule surface as a template for silica formation. Mouse and human islets were exposed to medium containing saturating silicic acid levels for 9-15 min. The resulting tissue constructs were then cultured for up to 4 wk under normal conditions. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to monitor the morphology and elemental composition of the material at the islet surface. A cytokine assay was used to assess biocompatibility with macrophages. Islet survival and function were assessed by confocal microscopy, glucose-stimulated insulin release assays, oxygen flux at the islet surface, expression of key genes by RT-PCR, and syngeneic transplant into diabetic mice

Intestinal Gpr17 deficiency improves glucose metabolism by promoting GLP-1 secretion

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in intestinal enteroendocrine cells (EECs) respond to nutritional, neural, and microbial cues and modulate the release of gut hormones. Here we show that Gpr17, an orphan GPCR, is co-expressed in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-expressing EECs in human and rodent intestinal epithelium. Acute genetic ablation of Gpr17 in intestinal epithelium improves glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Importantly, inducible knockout (iKO) mice and Gpr17 null intestinal organoids respond to glucose or lipid ingestion with increased secretion of GLP-1, but not the other incretin glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). In an in vitro EEC model, overexpression or agonism of Gpr17 reduces voltage-gated calcium currents and decreases cyclic AMP (cAMP) production, and these are two critical factors regulating GLP-1 secretion. Together, our work shows that intestinal Gpr17 signaling functions as an inhibitory pathway for GLP-1 secretion in EECs, suggesting intestinal GPR17 is a potential target for diabetes and obesity intervention

A high-fat diet catalyzes progression to hyperglycemia in mice with selective impairment of insulin action in Glut4-expressing tissues

Insulin resistance impairs postprandial glucose uptake through glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) and is the primary defect preceding type 2 diabetes. We previously generated an insulin-resistant mouse model with human GLUT4 promoter-driven insulin receptor knockout (GIRKO) in the muscle, adipose, and neuronal subpopulations. However, the rate of diabetes in GIRKO mice remained low prior to 6 months of age on normal chow diet (NCD), suggesting that additional factors/mechanisms are responsible for adverse metabolic effects driving the ultimate progression of overt diabetes. In this study, we characterized the metabolic phenotypes of the adult GIRKO mice acutely switched to high-fat diet (HFD) feeding in order to identify additional metabolic challenges required for disease progression. Distinct from other diet-induced obesity (DIO) and genetic models (e.g., db/db mice), GIRKO mice remained leaner on HFD feeding, but developed other cardinal features of insulin resistance syndrome. GIRKO mice rapidly developed hyperglycemia despite compensatory increases in β-cell mass and hyperinsulinemia. Furthermore, GIRKO mice also had impaired oral glucose tolerance and a limited glucose-lowering benefit from exendin-4, suggesting that the blunted incretin effect contributed to hyperglycemia. Secondly, GIRKO mice manifested severe dyslipidemia while on HFD due to elevated hepatic lipid secretion, serum triglyceride concentration, and lipid droplet accumulation in hepatocytes. Thirdly, GIRKO mice on HFD had increased inflammatory cues in the gut, which were associated with the HFD-induced microbiome alterations and increased serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In conclusion, our studies identified important gene/diet interactions contributing to diabetes progression, which might be leveraged to develop more efficacious therapies

Syntaxin 4 up-regulation increases efficiency of insulin release in pancreatic islets from humans with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus

CONTEXT: Evidence suggests that dysfunctional β-cell insulin release precedes type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively) and that enhancing the efficiency of insulin release from pancreatic islet β-cells may delay/prevent these diseases. We took advantage of the rare opportunity to test this paradigm using islets from human type 2 diabetic individuals. OBJECTIVES: Insulin release capacity is limited by the abundance of fusogenic soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. Because enrichment of Syntaxin 4, a plasma membrane soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein, enhances β-cell function in mice, we investigated its potential to restore functional insulin secretion to human diabetic islets. DESIGN: Human islets from type 2 diabetic and healthy individuals transduced to overexpress Syntaxin 4 were examined by perifusion analysis. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic recipient mice transplanted with Syntaxin 4-enriched or normal islets were assessed for rescue of diabetes in vivo. RESULTS: Syntaxin 4 up-regulation in human islets enhanced β-cell function by approximately 2-fold in each phase of secretion. Syntaxin 4 abundance in type 2 diabetes islets was approximately 70% reduced, and replenishment significantly improved insulin secretion. Islets from Syntaxin 4 overexpressing transgenic mice more effectively attenuated streptozotocin-induced diabetes than did control islets. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the addition of just Syntaxin 4 is sufficient to significantly improve insulin secretory function to human type 2 diabetes islets retaining low levels of residual function and provide proof of concept that by building a more efficient β-cell with up-regulated Syntaxin 4, fewer islets may be required per patient, clearing a major barrier in transplantation therapy.CONTEXT: Evidence suggests that dysfunctional β-cell insulin release precedes type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively) and that enhancing the efficiency of insulin release from pancreatic islet β-cells may delay/prevent these diseases. We took advantage of the rare opportunity to test this paradigm using islets from human type 2 diabetic individuals. OBJECTIVES: Insulin release capacity is limited by the abundance of fusogenic soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. Because enrichment of Syntaxin 4, a plasma membrane soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein, enhances β-cell function in mice, we investigated its potential to restore functional insulin secretion to human diabetic islets. DESIGN: Human islets from type 2 diabetic and healthy individuals transduced to overexpress Syntaxin 4 were examined by perifusion analysis. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic recipient mice transplanted with Syntaxin 4-enriched or normal islets were assessed for rescue of diabetes in vivo. RESULTS: Syntaxin 4 up-regulation in human islets enhanced β-cell function by approximately 2-fold in each phase of secretion. Syntaxin 4 abundance in type 2 diabetes islets was approximately 70% reduced, and replenishment significantly improved insulin secretion. Islets from Syntaxin 4 overexpressing transgenic mice more effectively attenuated streptozotocin-induced diabetes than did control islets. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the addition of just Syntaxin 4 is sufficient to significantly improve insulin secretory function to human type 2 diabetes islets retaining low levels of residual function and provide proof of concept that by building a more efficient β-cell with up-regulated Syntaxin 4, fewer islets may be required per patient, clearing a major barrier in transplantation therapy

FcγR-stimulated activation of the NADPH oxidase: phosphoinositide-binding protein p40phox regulates NADPH oxidase activity after enzyme assembly on the phagosome

The phagocyte NADPH oxidase generates superoxide for microbial killing, and includes a membrane-bound flavocytochrome b558 and cytosolic p67phox, p47phox, and p40phox subunits that undergo membrane translocation upon cellular activation. The function of p40phox, which binds p67phox in resting cells, is incompletely understood. Recent studies showed that phagocytosis-induced superoxide production is stimulated by p40phox and its binding to phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI3P), a phosphoinositide enriched in membranes of internalized phagosomes. To better define the role of p40phox in FcγR-induced oxidase activation, we used immunofluorescence and real-time imaging of FcγR-induced phagocytosis. YFP-tagged p67phox and p40phox translocated to granulocyte phagosomes before phagosome internalization and accumulation of a probe for PI3P. p67phox and p47phox accumulation on nascent and internalized phagosomes did not require p40phox or PI3 kinase activity, although superoxide production before and after phagosome sealing was decreased by mutation of the p40phox PI3P-binding domain or wortmannin. Translocation of p40phox to nascent phagosomes required binding to p67phox but not PI3P, although the loss of PI3P binding reduced p40phox retention after phagosome internalization. We conclude that p40phox functions primarily to regulate FcγR-induced NADPH oxidase activity rather than assembly, and stimulates superoxide production via a PI3P signal that increases after phagosome internalization

Islet beta-Cell Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Precedes the Onset of Type 1 Diabetes in the Nonobese Diabetic Mouse Model

Type 1 diabetes is preceded by islet beta-cell dysfunction, but the mechanisms leading to beta-cell dysfunction have not been rigorously studied. Because immune cell infiltration occurs prior to overt diabetes, we hypothesized that activation of inflammatory cascades and appearance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in beta-cell contributes to insulin secretory defects. Prediabetic nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and control diabetes-resistant NOD-SCID and CD1 strains were studied for metabolic control and islet function and gene regulation. Prediabetic NOD mice were relatively glucose intolerant and had defective insulin secretion with elevated proinsulin:insulin ratios compared with control strains. Isolated islets from NOD mice displayed age-dependent increases in parameters of ER stress, morphologic alterations in ER structure by electron microscopy, and activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) target genes. Upon exposure to a mixture of proinflammatory cytokines that mimics the microenvironment of type 1 diabetes, MING beta-cells displayed evidence for polyribosomal runoff, a finding consistent with the translational initiation blockade characteristic of ER stress. We conclude that beta-cells of prediabetic NOD mice display dysfunction and overt ER stress that may be driven by NF-kappa B signaling, and strategies that attenuate pathways leading to ER stress may preserve beta-cell function in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 61:818-827, 201