Synopsis The Slc30a8 gene encodes the islet-specific zinc transporter ZnT-8, which provides zinc for insulin-hexamer formation. Polymorphic variants in amino acid 325 of human ZnT-8 are associated with altered susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and ZnT-8 autoantibody epitope specificity changes in type 1 diabetes. To assess the physiological importance of ZnT-8, mice carrying a Slc30a8 exon 3 deletion were analyzed histologically and phenotyped for energy metabolism and pancreatic hormone secretion. No gross anatomical or behavioral changes or differences in body weight were observed between wild type and ZnT-8 −/− mice and ZnT-8 −/− mouse islets were indistinguishable from wild type in terms of their numbers, size and cellular composition. However, total zinc content was markedly reduced in ZnT-8 −/− mouse islets, as evaluated both by Timm’s histochemical staining of pancreatic sections and direct measurements in isolated islets. Blood glucose levels were unchanged in 16 week old, 6 hr fasted animals of either gender, however, plasma insulin concentrations were reduced in both female (~31%) and male (~47%) ZnT-8 −/− mice. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests demonstrated no impairment in glucose clearance in male ZnT-8 −/− mice but glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from isolated islets was reduced ~33% relative to wild type littermates. In summary, Slc30a8 gene deletion is accompanied by a modest impairment in insulin secretion without major alterations in glucose metabolism.

The rate of transcription of the hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) genes is stimulated by glucocorticoids and inhibited by insulin. In both cases, the effect of insulin is dominant, since it suppresses both basal and glucocorticoid-stimulated PEPCK or IGFBP-1 gene transcription. Analyses of both promoters by transfection of PEPCK or IGFBP-1-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion genes into rat hepatoma cells has led to the identification of insulin response sequences (IRSs) in both genes. The core IRS, T(G/A)TTTTG, is the same in both genes, but the PEPCK promoter has a single copy of this element whereas the IGFBP-1 promoter has two copies arranged as an inverted palindrome. The IGFBP-1 IRS and PEPCK IRS both bind the alpha and beta forms of hepatic nuclear factor 3 (HNF-3), although the latter does so with a sixfold-lower relative affinity. Both the PEPCK and the IGFBP-1 IRSs also function as accessory factor binding sites required for the full induction of gene transcription by glucocorticoids. A combination of transient transfection and DNA binding studies suggests that HNF-3 is the accessory factor that supports glucocorticoid-induced gene transcription. In both genes, the HNF-3 binding site overlaps the IRS core motif(s). A model in which insulin is postulated to mediate its negative effect on glucocorticoid-induced PEPCK and IGFBP-1 gene transcription indirectly by inhibiting HNF-3 action is proposed.

We used gene knockout mice to explore the role of Angiopoietinlike-4 (Angptl4) in lipid metabolism as well as to generate antiAngptl4 mAbs with pharmacological activity. Angptl4 ؊/؊ mice had lower triglyceride (TG) levels resulting both from increased very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) clearance and decreased VLDL production and had modestly lower cholesterol levels. Also, both Angptl4 ؊/؊ suckling mice and adult mice fed a high-fat diet showed reduced viability associated with lipogranulomatous lesions of the intestines and their draining lymphatics and mesenteric lymph nodes. Treating C57BL/6J, ApoE ؊/؊, LDLr ؊/؊, and db/db mice with the anti-Angptl4 mAb 14D12 recapitulated the lipid and histopathologic phenotypes noted in Angptl4 ؊/؊ mice. This demonstrates that the knockout phenotype reflects not only the physiologic function of the Angptl4 gene but also predicts the pharmacologic consequences of Angptl4 protein inhibition with a neutralizing antibody in relevant models of human disease. monoclonal antibody ͉ mouse ͉ triglycerides ͉ cholesterol

The kinase suppressor of ras 2 (KSR2) gene resides at human chromosome 12q24, a region linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). While knocking out and phenotypically screening mouse orthologs of thousands of druggable human genes, we found KSR2 knockout (KSR2−/−) mice to be more obese and glucose intolerant than melanocortin 4 receptor−/− (MC4R−/−) mice. The obesity and T2D of KSR2−/− mice resulted from hyperphagia which was unresponsive to leptin and did not originate downstream of MC4R. The kinases AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are each linked to food intake regulation, but only mTOR had increased activity in KSR2−/− mouse brain, and the ability of rapamycin to inhibit food intake in KSR2−/− mice further implicated mTOR in this process. The metabolic phenotype of KSR2 heterozygous (KSR2+/minus;) and KSR2−/− mice suggests that human KSR2 variants may contribute to a similar phenotype linked to human chromosome 12q24.

We developed a high-throughput approach to knockout (KO) and phenotype mouse orthologs of the 5,000 potential drug targets in the human genome. As part of the phenotypic screen, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) technology estimates body-fat stores in eight KO and four wild-type (WT) littermate chow-fed mice from each line. Normalized % body fat (nBF) (mean KO % body fat/mean WT littermate % body fat) values from the first 2322 lines with viable KO mice at 14 weeks of age showed a normal distribution. We chose to determine how well this screen identifies body-fat phenotypes by selecting 13 of these 2322 KO lines to serve as benchmarks based on their published lean or obese phenotype on a chow diet. The nBF values for the eight benchmark KO lines with a lean phenotype were ≥1 s.d. below the mean for seven (perilipin, SCD1, CB1, MCH1R, PTP1B, GPAT1, PIP5K2B) but close to the mean for NPY Y4R. The nBF values for the five benchmark KO lines with an obese phenotype were >2 s.d. above the mean for four (MC4R, MC3R, BRS3, translin) but close to the mean for 5HT2cR. This screen also identifies novel body-fat phenotypes as exemplified by the obese kinase suppressor of ras 2 (KSR2) KO mice. These body-fat phenotypes were confirmed upon studying additional cohorts of mice for KSR2 and all 13 benchmark KO lines. This simple and cost-effective screen appears capable of identifying genes with a role in regulating mammalian body fat.