bims-mimbat 2022-06-12 papers

Issue of 2022‒06‒12
six papers selected by
José Carlos de Lima-Júnior
University of California San Francisco

Nature. 2022 Jun 08.

ATGL is a biosynthetic enzyme for fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids.

Rucha Patel, Anna Santoro, Peter Hofer, Dan Tan, Monika Oberer, Andrew T Nelson, Srihari Konduri, Dionicio Siegel, Rudolf Zechner, Alan Saghatelian, Barbara B Kahn.

Branched fatty acid (FA) esters of hydroxy FAs (HFAs; FAHFAs) are recently discovered lipids that are conserved from yeast to mammals1,2. A subfamily, palmitic acid esters of hydroxy stearic acids (PAHSAs), are anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic1,3. Humans and mice with insulin resistance have lower PAHSA levels in subcutaneous adipose tissue and serum1. PAHSA administration improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation in obesity, diabetes and immune-mediated diseases1,4-7. The enzyme(s) responsible for FAHFA biosynthesis in vivo remains unknown. Here we identified adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL, also known as patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 2 (PNPLA2)) as a candidate biosynthetic enzyme for FAHFAs using chemical biology and proteomics. We discovered that recombinant ATGL uses a transacylation reaction that esterifies an HFA with a FA from triglyceride (TG) or diglyceride to produce FAHFAs. Overexpression of wild-type, but not catalytically dead, ATGL increases FAHFA biosynthesis. Chemical inhibition of ATGL or genetic deletion of Atgl inhibits FAHFA biosynthesis and reduces the levels of FAHFA and FAHFA-TG. Levels of endogenous and nascent FAHFAs and FAHFA-TGs are 80-90 per cent lower in adipose tissue of mice in which Atgl is knocked out specifically in the adipose tissue. Increasing TG levels by upregulating diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity promotes FAHFA biosynthesis, and decreasing DGAT activity inhibits it, reinforcing TGs as FAHFA precursors. ATGL biosynthetic transacylase activity is present in human adipose tissue underscoring its potential clinical relevance. In summary, we discovered the first, to our knowledge, biosynthetic enzyme that catalyses the formation of the FAHFA ester bond in mammals. Whereas ATGL lipase activity is well known, our data establish a paradigm shift demonstrating that ATGL transacylase activity is biologically important.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04787-x

Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 07. 13(1): 3268

Adipocyte HIF2α functions as a thermostat via PKA Cα regulation in beige adipocytes.

Ji Seul Han, Yong Geun Jeon, Minsik Oh, Gung Lee, Hahn Nahmgoong, Sang Mun Han, Jeehye Choi, Ye Young Kim, Kyung Cheul Shin, Jiwon Kim, Kyuri Jo, Sung Sik Choe, Eun Jung Park, Sun Kim, Jae Bum Kim.

Thermogenic adipocytes generate heat to maintain body temperature against hypothermia in response to cold. Although tight regulation of thermogenesis is required to prevent energy sources depletion, the molecular details that tune thermogenesis are not thoroughly understood. Here, we demonstrate that adipocyte hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) plays a key role in calibrating thermogenic function upon cold and re-warming. In beige adipocytes, HIFα attenuates protein kinase A (PKA) activity, leading to suppression of thermogenic activity. Mechanistically, HIF2α suppresses PKA activity by inducing miR-3085-3p expression to downregulate PKA catalytic subunit α (PKA Cα). Ablation of adipocyte HIF2α stimulates retention of beige adipocytes, accompanied by increased PKA Cα during re-warming after cold stimuli. Moreover, administration of miR-3085-3p promotes beige-to-white transition via downregulation of PKA Cα and mitochondrial abundance in adipocyte HIF2α deficient mice. Collectively, these findings suggest that HIF2α-dependent PKA regulation plays an important role as a thermostat through dynamic remodeling of beige adipocytes.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30925-0

J Biomed Res. 2022 May 28. 195-207

Orexin receptor type 2 agonism inhibits thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue by attenuating afferent innervation.

Mo-Qiu Jia, Yong-Jin Wang, Kang Fu, Han Jiao, Jia Sun, Yuanqing Gao.

Orexin signaling has been associated with energy expenditure and brown adipose tissue (BAT) function. However, conflicting data exist in the field about how orexin signaling regulates BAT thermogenesis. In this study, we show that a specific orexin receptor type 2 (OX2R) agonist [Ala11, D-Leu15]-OxB (OB-Ala) inhibited intrascapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) thermogenesis by reducing sympathetic output to iBAT. This effect is mediated by OX2Rs located on afferent nerve endings innervating iBAT instead of brown adipocyte itself. Microinjection of OB-Ala into iBAT inhibited iBAT thermogenesis in mice upon cold exposure and neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus. Findings suggest that OB-Ala could inhibit iBAT thermogenesis by attenuating sensory input thereby inhibiting the sympathetic-sensory iBAT feedback loop. Our study uncovers a novel primary action site of orexin in the regulation of energy balance.

Keywords: brown adipose tissue; orexin receptor type 2; thermogenesis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7555/JBR.36.20220033

Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 10. 12(1): 9557

miR-375 is cold exposure sensitive and drives thermogenesis in visceral adipose tissue derived stem cells.

Claudine Seeliger, Tanja Krauss, Julius Honecker, Laura Aline Mengel, Lise Buekens, Alberto Mesas-Fernández, Thomas Skurk, Melina Claussnitzer, Hans Hauner.

Activation of brown adipose tissue may increase energy expenditure by non-shivering thermogenesis. Cold exposure is one of the options to activate brown adipocytes. To link changes in energy metabolism with microRNA expression (miRNAs), we analyzed 158 miRNAs in serum of 169 healthy individuals before and after cold exposure. Validating the results of a miRNA array, a significant down-regulation of miR-375 after cold exposure (P < 0.0001) was detected. These changes went along with a significant negative correlation between miR-375 and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass (P < 0.0001), implicating a specific function of miR-375 in this depot. Significantly higher expression levels of miR-375 were found in VAT in comparison to subcutaneous fat (SAT). Using in silico prediction, we identified putative miR-375 target genes involved in the thermogenesis pathway. Cold-stimulation of subcutaneous and visceral pre-adipocytes (PACs) led to significantly higher expression levels of FABP4, FGF21, PPARGC1A and PRDM16 in VC-PACs. Analyzing miR-375 knock down and cold stimulated VC-PACs revealed a significant up-regulation of thermogenesis associated genes PPARGC1A, ELOVL3 and PRDM16. In summary, our findings identified miR-375 as a potential adipogenic and thermogenesis-associated miRNA exclusively acting in visceral adipose tissue.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13610-6

Cell Metab. 2022 Jun 07. pii: S1550-4131(22)00184-X. [Epub ahead of print]34(6): 888-901.e5

Cold-sensitive ventromedial hypothalamic neurons control homeostatic thermogenesis and social interaction-associated hyperthermia.

Chenzhang Feng, Ying Wang, Xi Zha, Huateng Cao, Shajin Huang, Dongdong Cao, Kaiwei Zhang, Tianyuan Xie, Xiaohong Xu, Zhifeng Liang, Zhe Zhang.

Homeostatic thermogenesis is an essential protective feature of endotherms. However, the specific neuronal types involved in cold-induced thermogenesis remain largely unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and in situ hybridization, we screened for cold-sensitive neurons and found preprodynorphin (PDYN)-expressing cells in the dorsal medial region of the ventromedial hypothalamus (dmVMH) to be a candidate. Subsequent in vivo calcium recording showed that cold temperature activates dmVMHPdyn neurons, whereas hot temperature suppresses them. In addition, optogenetic activation of dmVMHPdyn neurons increases the brown adipose tissue and core body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, whereas optogenetic inhibition shows opposite effects, supporting their role in homeostatic thermogenesis. Furthermore, we found that dmVMHPdyn neurons are linked to known thermoregulatory circuits. Importantly, dmVMHPdyn neurons also show activation during mouse social interaction, and optogenetic inhibition suppresses social interaction and associated hyperthermia. Together, our study describes dual functions of dmVMHPdyn neurons that allow coordinated regulation of body temperature and social behaviors.

Keywords: cold-sensitive; homeostatic thermogenesis; preprodynorphin; social interaction associated hyperthermia; ventromedial hypothalamus

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.05.002

Cell Rep. 2022 Jun 07. pii: S2211-1247(22)00687-8. [Epub ahead of print]39(10): 110910

ATGL-dependent white adipose tissue lipolysis controls hepatocyte PPARα activity.

In hepatocytes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) orchestrates a genomic and metabolic response required for homeostasis during fasting. This includes the biosynthesis of ketone bodies and of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Here we show that in the absence of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in adipocytes, ketone body and FGF21 production is impaired upon fasting. Liver gene expression analysis highlights a set of fasting-induced genes sensitive to both ATGL deletion in adipocytes and PPARα deletion in hepatocytes. Adipose tissue lipolysis induced by activation of the β3-adrenergic receptor also triggers such PPARα-dependent responses not only in the liver but also in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Intact PPARα activity in hepatocytes is required for the cross-talk between adipose tissues and the liver during fat mobilization.

Keywords: ATGL; CP: Metabolism; FGF21; PPARα; fasting; ketogenesis; lipolysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110910