Actions and interactions of AMPK with insulin, the peroxisomal-proliferator activated receptors and sirtuins.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity responds to a requirement to increase cellular ATP production and/or to conserve available ATP. AMPK is therefore central to the mechanisms of adjustment to fluctuating energy demand or metabolic substrate supply. AMPK has important actions in several insulin-responsive tissues, as well as in the pancreatic ß cell, through which it can modulate glycemic control, insulin action and metabolic substrate selection and disposal. We review recent novel findings elucidating the mechanisms by which AMPK activation can correct impaired insulin action. However, we also emphasize not only the similarities, but also the differences in the actions of insulin and AMPK. We focus on metabolic interfaces between AMPK, peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptors, sirtuins and mTORC.

Adipocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 expression is associated with augmented PPARγ upregulation in early-life programming of later obesity.

We studied adipocytes from 8-week-old control rat offspring (CON) or rat offspring subjected to maternal low (8%) protein (MLP) feeding during pregnancy/lactation, a procedure predisposing to obesity. Acute exposure to isoproterenol or adenosine enhanced PDK4 and PPARγ mRNA gene expression in CON and MLP adipocytes. Enhanced adipocyte Pdk4 expression correlated with increased PPARγ expression. Higher levels of PDK4 and PPARγ were observed in MLP adipocytes. SCD1 is a PPARγ target. Isoproterenol enhanced adipocyte PDK4 and SCD1 gene expression in parallel. This could reflect augmented PPARγ expression together with enhanced lipolytic stimulation to supply endogenous PPARγ ligands, allowing enhanced adipocyte PDK4 and SCD1 expression via PPARγ activation. In contrast, the effect of adenosine to increase PDK4 expression is independent of stimulation of lipolysis and, as SCD1 expression was unaffected by adenosine, unlikely to reflect PPARγ activation. Increased adipocyte expression of both PDK4 and SCD1 in the MLP model could participate as components of a "thrifty" phenotype, favouring the development of obesity.

Endogenous epoxygenases are modulators of monocyte/macrophage activity.

BACKGROUND: Arachidonic acid is metabolized through three major metabolic pathways, the cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and CYP450 enzyme systems. Unlike cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenases, the role of CYP450 epoxygenases in monocyte/macrophage-mediated responses is not known. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: When transfected in vitro, CYP2J2 is an efficient activator of anti-inflammatory pathways through the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α. Human monocytes and macrophages contain PPARα and here we show they express the epoxygenases CYP2J2 and CYP2C8. Inhibition of constitutive monocyte epoxygenases using the epoxygenase inhibitor SKF525A induces cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and activity, and the release of TNFα, and can be reversed by either add back of the endogenous epoxygenase products and PPARα ligand 11,12- epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) or the addition of the selective synthetic PPARα ligand GW7647. In alternatively activated (IL-4-treated) monocytes, in contrast to classically activated cells, epoxygenase inhibition decreased TNFα release. Epoxygenases can be pro-inflammatory via superoxide anion production. The suppression of TNFα by SKF525A in the presence of IL-4 was associated with a reduction in superoxide anion generation and reproduced by the superoxide dismutase MnCl(2). Similar to these acute activation studies, in monocyte derived macrophages, epoxygenase inhibition elevates M1 macrophage TNFα mRNA and further decreases M2 macrophage TNFα. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, epoxygenase activity represents an important endogenous pathway which limits monocyte activation. Moreover endogenous epoxygenases are immuno-modulators regulating monocyte/macrophage activation depending on the underlying activation state.

The pyruvate carboxylase-pyruvate dehydrogenase axis in islet pyruvate metabolism: Going round in circles?

Pyruvate is the major product of glycolysis in pancreatic ß-cells, and its ultimate metabolic fate depends on the relative activities of two enzymes. The first, pyruvate carboxylase (PC) replenishes oxaloacetate withdrawn from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle via the carboxylation of pyruvate to form oxaloacetate. Flux via PC is also involved in the formation of NADPH, one of several important coupling factors for insulin secretion. In most tissues, PC activity is enhanced by increased acetyl-CoA. The alternative fate of pyruvate is its oxidative decarboxylation to form acetyl-CoA via the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The ultimate fate of acetyl-CoA carbon is oxidation to CO2 via the TCA cycle, and so the PDC reaction results of the irreversible loss of glucose-derived carbon. Thus, PDC activity is stringently regulated. The mechanisms controlling PDC activity include end-product inhibition by increased acetyl-CoA, NADH and ATP, and its phosphorylation (inactivation) by a family of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDHKs 1-4). Here we review new developments in the regulation of the activities and expression of PC, PDC and the PDHKs in the pancreatic islet in relation to islet pyruvate disposition and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS).

Signalling satiety and starvation to ß-Cell insulin secretion.

The impact of bariatric surgery on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance has refocused interest in the role of gut-derived factors in the regulation of insulin secretion and action. The incretins, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are released from endocrine cells in the small intestinal mucosa primarily in response to oral nutrient ingestion. They have various effects, including augmentation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), actions that promote the cellular assimilation and storage of dietary glucose and lipid as liver and skeletal muscle glycogen and adipocyte triacylglycerol (TAG) respectively. Similarly, increased delivery of fatty acids (FA) acutely augments GSIS, and the resultant enhancement of GSIS facilitates FA storage as adipocyte TAG. Leptin secretion from white adipocytes curbs appetite to limit dietary nutrient intake and adipocyte TAG storage and, potentially, GSIS, thereby curtailing insulin-dependent TAG storage. On fasting, GSIS is curbed, an effect the mechanism of which is even now incompletely understood, but which may reflect augmented ß-cell FA oxidation. The orexigen ghrelin, systemic concentrations of which increase with fasting, exerts enigmatic effects on GSIS, in that acylated ghrelin and unacylated ghrelin exert opposing effects on GSIS, whereas acylated ghrelin and unacylated ghrelin share protective effects on islet survival. This review will build on these emerging studies to evaluate the roles of the incretins, leptin, lipids and acylated and unacylated ghrelin in modulating islet function and survival during feasting and fasting.

PPARα-LXR as a novel metabolostatic signalling axis in skeletal muscle that acts to optimize substrate selection in response to nutrient status.

LXR (liver X receptor) and PPARα (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor α) are nuclear receptors that control the expression of genes involved in glucose and lipid homoeostasis. Using wild-type and PPARα-null mice fed on an LXR-agonist-supplemented diet, the present study analysed the impact of pharmacological LXR activation on the expression of metabolically important genes in skeletal muscle, testing the hypothesis that LXR activation can modulate PPAR action in skeletal muscle in a manner dependent on nutritional status. In the fed state, LXR activation promoted a gene profile favouring lipid storage and glucose oxidation, increasing SCD1 (stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1) expression and down-regulating PGC-1α (PPARγ co-activator-1α) and PDK4 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4) expression. PPARα deficiency enhanced LXR stimulation of SCD1 expression, and facilitated elevated SREBP-1 (sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein-1) expression. However, LXR-mediated down-regulation of PGC-1α and PDK4 was opposed and reversed by PPARα deficiency. During fasting, prior LXR activation augmented PPARα signalling to heighten FA (fatty acid) oxidation and decrease glucose oxidation by augmenting fasting-induced up-regulation of PGC-1α and PDK4 expression, effects opposed by PPARα deficiency. Starvation-induced down-regulation of SCD1 expression was opposed by antecedent LXR activation in wild-type mice, an effect enhanced further by PPARα deficiency, which may elicit increased channelling of FA into triacylglycerol to limit lipotoxicity. Our results also identified potential regulatory links between the protein deacetylases SIRT1 (sirtuin 1) and SIRT3 and PDK4 expression in muscle from fasted mice, with a requirement for PPARα. In summary, we therefore propose that a LXR-PPARα signalling axis acts as a metabolostatic regulatory mechanism to optimize substrate selection and disposition in skeletal muscle according to metabolic requirement.

Acute and long-term nutrient-led modifications of gene expression: potential role of SIRT1 as a central co-ordinator of short and longer-term programming of tissue function.

Environmental factors can influence the acute and longer-term risks of developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease; however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Increasing evidence suggests that these effects can be achieved by modification of metabolic gene expression. These include acute changes in histone methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination and longer-term DNA silencing elicited by DNA methylation. Thus, an increased risk of disease may reflect acute or chronic stable modification of genes that regulate nutrient handling, leading to altered nutrient utilization (increased lipid oxidation at the expense of glucose utilization) and/or changes in the balance between nutrient storage and energy production, thereby favoring the development of obesity. The review addresses the hypothesis that early-life epigenetic programming of gene expression could be mirrored by changes in acute function of nuclear receptors, in particular the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, achieved by enzymes that are more conventionally involved in regulating DNA methylation and post-transcriptional modification of histones. Emphasis is placed on the potential importance of the protein deacetylase sirtuin-1 as a central co-ordinator.

PPAR control: it's SIRTainly as easy as PGC.

This review describes recent advances in our knowledge of the regulatory interactions influencing the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-regulated genes. We address recent advances highlighting the role of PPARgamma (PPARG) coactivator-1 (PGC-1) and lipin-1 in co-ordinating the expression of genes controlling nutrient handling. We evaluate the possibility that SIRT1 lies at the heart of a regulatory loop involving PPARalpha, PGC-1alpha (PPARA, PPARGC1A as given in the HUGO Database), and lipin-1 (LPIN1 as listed in the HUGO Database) that ultimately controls the metabolic response to varying nutrient and physiological signals via a common mechanism mediated by post-translation modifications (deacetylation) of both PPARalpha and PGC-1s. Finally, we comment on the potential of pharmaceutical manipulation of these targets as well as the possible problems associated with this strategy.

The epoxygenases CYP2J2 activates the nuclear receptor PPARalpha in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a family of three (PPARalpha, -beta/delta, and -gamma) nuclear receptors. In particular, PPARalpha is involved in regulation of fatty acid metabolism, cell growth and inflammation. PPARalpha mediates the cardiac fasting response, increasing fatty acid metabolism, decreasing glucose utilisation, and is the target for the fibrate lipid-lowering class of drugs. However, little is known regarding the endogenous generation of PPAR ligands. CYP2J2 is a lipid metabolising cytochrome P450, which produces anti-inflammatory mediators, and is considered the major epoxygenase in the human heart. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Expression of CYP2J2 in vitro results in an activation of PPAR responses with a particular preference for PPARalpha. The CYP2J2 products 8,9- and 11-12-EET also activate PPARalpha. In vitro, PPARalpha activation by its selective ligand induces the PPARalpha target gene pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)4 in cardiac tissue. In vivo, in cardiac-specific CYP2J2 transgenic mice, fasting selectively augments the expression of PDK4. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results establish that CYP2J2 produces PPARalpha ligands in vitro and in vivo, and suggests that lipid metabolising CYPs are prime candidates for the integration of global lipid changes to transcriptional signalling events.

PPARs and the orchestration of metabolic fuel selection.

This contribution describes recent advances in our knowledge of the regulatory interactions between the two major oxidative fuels glucose and lipid. It also addresses how the metabolic abnormalities associated with insulin resistance and ischemic diseases impair the ability of skeletal muscle to switch between the use of alternative metabolic fuels and the ability of adipose tissue to function appropriately in relation to the body's requirements for triglyceride mobilisation or storage, as appropriate to nutritional status. We discuss how targeting PPARs might ameliorate metabolic inflexibility in muscle through altered expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) isoforms and impact the functions of the adipocyte in lipid buffering and energy homeostasis. Focus has been placed on the participation of the regulatory pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases, PPAR targets, both in the beneficial and the potentially adverse actions of the PPARs in metabolic control.

The role of PPARs in modulating cardiac metabolism in diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. The impact of diabetes on the heart in part resides in the changes in metabolic fuel availability evoked by lack of insulin or resistance to its action. This review addresses how the metabolic abnormalities associated with poorly controlled diabetes impact cardiac fuel supply and handling, with emphasis on the coordinating roles of the PPARs.

PPARalpha activation and increased dietary lipid oppose thyroid hormone signaling and rescue impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in hyperthyroidism.

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of hyperthyroidism on the characteristics of the islet insulin secretory response to glucose, particularly the consequences of competition between thyroid hormone and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha in the regulation of islet adaptations to starvation and dietary lipid-induced insulin resistance. Rats maintained on standard (low-fat/high-carbohydrate) diet or high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet were rendered hyperthyroid (HT) by triiodothyronine (T(3)) administration (1 mg.kg body wt(-1).day(-1) sc, 3 days). The PPARalpha agonist WY14643 (50 mg/kg body wt ip) was administered 24 h before sampling. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was assessed during hyperglycemic clamps or after acute glucose bolus injection in vivo and with step-up and step-down islet perifusions. Hyperthyroidism decreased the glucose responsiveness of GSIS, precluding sufficient enhancement of insulin secretion for the degree of insulin resistance, in rats fed either standard diet or high-fat diet. Hyperthyroidism partially opposed the starvation-induced increase in the glucose threshold for GSIS and decrease in glucose responsiveness. WY14643 administration restored glucose tolerance by enhancing GSIS in fed HT rats and relieved the impact of hyperthyroidism to partially oppose islet starvation adaptations. Competition between thyroid hormone receptor (TR) and PPARalpha influences the characteristics of GSIS, such that hyperthyroidism impairs GSIS while PPARalpha activation (and increased dietary lipid) opposes TR signaling and restores GSIS in the fed hyperthyroid state. Increased islet PPARalpha signaling and decreased TR signaling during starvation facilitates appropriate modification of islet function.

Role of nuclear receptors in the modulation of insulin secretion in lipid-induced insulin resistance.

In healthy individuals, a hyperbolic relationship exists between whole-body insulin-sensitivity and insulin secretion. Thus, for any difference in insulin-sensitivity, a reciprocal proportionate change occurs in insulin secretion. Such a feedback loop is evident in healthy individuals ingesting diets high in saturated fat and in late pregnancy where, despite lipid-induced insulin resistance, glucose tolerance is maintained through augmented GSIS (glucose-stimulated insulin secretion). NRs (nuclear receptors) are members of a superfamily of ligand-regulated and orphan transcription factors. On activation by a cognate ligand, many ligand-activated NRs recruit the RXR (retinoid X receptor) for heterodimer formation. Such NRs include the PPARs (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors), which are involved in lipid sensing and liporegulation. PPARs exert important lipid-lowering effects in vivo, thereby opposing the development of lipid-induced insulin resistance by relieving the inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal by muscle and lowering the necessity for augmented GSIS to counter lipid-induced insulin resistance. Long-chain fatty acids are proposed as natural PPAR ligands and some specific endogenous pathways of lipid metabolism are believed to generate PPAR agonists. Other NRs, e.g. the LXR (liver X receptor), which senses expansion of the metabolically active pool of cholesterol, and the FXR (farnesoid X receptor; NR1H4), which, like the LXR, is involved in sterol metabolism, also modulate systemic lipid levels and insulin-sensitivity. In this review, we discuss how these NRs impact insulin secretion via effects on the insulin-sensitivity-insulin secretion feedback loop and, in some cases, via direct effects on the islet itself. In addition, we discuss interactions between these nutrient/metabolite-responsive NRs and NRs that are central to the action of metabolically important hormones, including (i) the glucocorticoid receptor, critical for maintaining glucose homoeostasis in stress, inflammation and during fasting, and (ii) the thyroid hormone receptors, vital for maintenance of oxidative functions. We present data indicating that the RXR occupies a key role in directly modulating islet function and that its heterodimerization with at least two of its partners modulates GSIS.

Diet, obesity and diabetes: a current update.

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing at a rapid rate over the last few decades. Although the primary defect can be attributed to an imbalance of energy intake over energy expenditure, the regulation of energy balance is now recognized to be complex. Adipose-tissue factors play a central role in the control of energy balance and whole-body fuel homoeostasis. The regulation of adipose-tissue function, in particular its secretion of adipokines, is impaired by increases in adipose mass associated with obesity, and with the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. This review analyses adipose-regulated energy input and expenditure, together with the impact of dietary macronutrient composition on energy balance in relation to susceptibility to the development of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, and how these metabolic conditions may be exacerbated by the consequences of abnormal adipose function. By gaining a greater understanding of how energy balance is controlled in normal, and in obese and diabetic states, a more practical approach can be employed to prevent and better treat obesity and metabolic disorders.

PPARalpha activation reverses adverse effects induced by high-saturated-fat feeding on pancreatic beta-cell function in late pregnancy.

We examined whether the additional demand for insulin secretion imposed by dietary saturated fat-induced insulin resistance during pregnancy is accommodated at late pregnancy, already characterized by insulin resistance. We also assessed whether effects of dietary saturated fat are influenced by PPARalpha activation or substitution of 7% of dietary fatty acids (FAs) with long-chain omega-3 FA, manipulations that improve insulin action in the nonpregnant state. Glucose tolerance at day 19 of pregnancy in the rat was impaired by high-saturated-fat feeding throughout pregnancy. Despite modestly enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in vivo, islet perifusions revealed an increased glucose threshold and decreased glucose responsiveness of GSIS in the saturated-fat-fed pregnant group. Thus, insulin resistance evoked by dietary saturated fat is partially countered by augmented insulin secretion, but compensation is compromised by impaired islet function. Substitution of 7% of saturated FA with long-chain omega-3 FA suppressed GSIS in vivo but did not modify the effect of saturated-fat feeding to impair GSIS by perifused islets. PPARalpha activation (24 h) rescued impaired islet function that was identified using perifused islets, but GSIS in vivo was suppressed such that glucose tolerance was not improved, suggesting modification of the feedback loop between insulin action and secretion.

Mechanisms underlying regulation of the expression and activities of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases.

The mechanisms that control mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) activity include its phosphorylation (inactivation) by a family of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs 1 - 4). Here we review new developments in the regulation of the activities and expression of the PDKs, in particular PDK2 and PDK4, in relation to glucose and lipid homeostasis. This review describes recent advances relating to the acute and long-term modes of regulation of the PDKs, with particular emphasis on the regulatory roles of nuclear receptors including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and Liver X receptor (LXR), PPAR gamma coactivator alpha (PGC-1alpha) and insulin, and the impact of changes in PDK activity and expression in glucose and lipid homeostasis. Since PDK4 may assist in lipid clearance when there is an imbalance between lipid delivery and oxidation, it may represent an attractive target for interventions aimed at rectifying abnormal lipid as well as glucose homeostasis in disease states.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha and glucocorticoids interactively regulate insulin secretion during pregnancy.

We evaluated the impact of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha activation and dexamethasone treatment on islet adaptations to the distinct metabolic challenges of fasting and pregnancy, situations where lipid handling is modified to conserve glucose. PPARalpha activation (24 h) in vivo did not affect glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in nonpregnant female rats in the fasted state, although fasting suppressed GSIS. Dexamethasone treatment (5 days) of nonpregnant rats lowered the glucose threshold and augmented GSIS at high glucose; the former effect was selectively opposed by PPARalpha activation. Pregnancy-induced changes in GSIS were opposed by PPARalpha activation at day 19 of pregnancy. Dexamethasone treatment from day 14 to 19 of pregnancy did not modify the GSIS profile of perifused islets from 19-day pregnant rats but rendered the islet GSIS profile refractory to PPARalpha activation. During sustained hyperglycemia in vivo, dexamethasone treatment augmented GSIS in nonpregnant rats but limited further modification of GSIS by pregnancy. We propose that the effect of PPARalpha activation to oppose lowering of the glucose threshold for GSIS by glucocorticoids is important as part of the fasting adaptation, and modulation of the islet GSIS profile by glucocorticoids toward term facilitates the transition of maternal islet function from the metabolic demands of pregnancy to those imposed after parturition.