Graphical Abstract Highlights d HIF1a reduces intracellular aspartate levels d HIF1a impairs oxidative and reductive aspartate biosynthesis d The aspartate-generating GOT1 and GOT2 enzymes are repressed by HIF1a d Aspartate supplementation counteracts the antiproliferative influence of HIF1a In Brief Melé ndez-Rodríguez et al. show that HIF1a impairs oxidative and reductive aspartate biogenesis, which consequently drives HIF1a-dependent suppression of tumor cell proliferation. Mechanistically, HIF1a represses the aspartate-producing enzymes GOT1 and GOT2 in several biological settings, including human VHL-deficient renal cell carcinoma, in which HIF1a can act as a tumor suppressor.

The recent and ongoing worldwide increase in the prevalence of obesity parallels the increase in the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This association suggests an implication of lipotoxicity in the development of kidney diseases. The increased influx of lipids into the kidney can be explained in the context of the “Adipose Tissue Expandability Hypothesis”. This hypothesis states that the adipose tissue has a limited expansion capability, which is different for each individual, and once this limit is reached, the adipose tissue cannot store any more lipids and will thus release them into the bloodstream. The accumulation of lipids in the kidney is known as renal lipotoxicity. Renal lipotoxicity is known to cause detrimental effects on the kidney by several mechanisms of action including reclusion of pro-inflammatory factors, oxidative and ER stress development, insulin resistance (IR), lipid metabolism deregulation or renin-angiotensin aldosterone system overactivation. Isoform peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) seems to play an important role in the development of this lipotoxicity as proven by several studies in ­animals and cultured cells. Thus, PPARγ agonists are of ­interest in the therapeutic approach to treat CKD in the context of obesity. This review aims to summarize our current knowledge of the mechanism by which lipotoxicity affects renal structure and function using in vivo and in vitro models as examples focusing on PPARγ.

Ryd en M, Petrus P, Andersson DP, Medina-G omez G, Escasany E, Corrales Cord on P, Dahlman I, Kulyt e A, Arner P (Karolinska ). Insulin action is severely impaired in adipocytes of apparently healthy overweight and obese subjects. J Intern Med 2019; 285: 578-588.Objective. Many overweight/obese subjects appear metabolically healthy with normal in vivo insulin sensitivity. Still, they have increased long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that adipose tissue dysfunction involving decreased insulin action in adipocytes is present in apparently healthy overweight/obese subjects.Design/Methods. Subjects with normal metabolic health according to Adult Treatment Panel-III or Framingham risk score criteria were subdivided into 67 lean, 32 overweight and 37 obese according to body mass index. They were compared with 200 obese individuals with metabolic syndrome. Insulin sensitivity and maximum action on inhibition of lipolysis and stimulation of lipogenesis was determined in subcutaneous adipocytes. Gene expression was determined by micro-array and qPCR.DNA methylation was assessed by array, pyrosequencing and reporter assays.Results. Compared with lean, adipocytes in overweight/obese displayed marked reductions in insulin sensitivity in both antilipolysis and lipogenesis as well as an attenuated maximum lipogenic response. Among these, only antilipolysis sensitivity correlated with whole-body insulin sensitivity. These differences were already evident in the overweight state, were only slightly worse in the unhealthy obese state and were not related to fat cell size. Adipose tissue analyses linked this to reduced expression of the insulin signalling protein AKT2, which associated with increased methylation at regulatory sites in the AKT2 promoter.Conclusions. Apparently healthy subjects have severely disturbed adipocyte insulin signalling already in the overweight state which involves epigenetic dysregulation of AKT2. This may constitute an early defect in insulin action that appears even upon modest increases in fat mass.Insulin action and excess body fat / M. Ryd en et al.

Glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis are pathological features of chronic kidney disease. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is a key player in the development of fibrosis. However, of the three known TGFβ isoforms, only TGFβ1 has an established role in fibrosis, and the pathophysiological relevance of TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 is unknown. Because Tgfβ3 deficiency in mice results in early postnatal lethality, we analyzed the kidney phenotype of heterozygous Tgfβ3-knockout mice (Tgfβ3+/-) and compared it with that of matched wild-type mice. Four-month-old Tgfβ3+/- mice exhibited incipient renal fibrosis with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, in addition to glomerular basement membrane thickening and podocyte foot process effacement associated with albuminuria. Also evident was insulin resistance and oxidative stress at the renal level together with aberrant renal lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function. Omics analysis showed toxic species such as diacylglycerides and ceramides in Tgfβ3+/- mice, and dysregulated mitochondrial metabolism. Kidney of Tgfβ3+/- mice showed morphological alterations of mitochondria and overactivation of non-canonical MAPK ERK1/2 and JNK cascades. Our study shows that renal TGFβ3 might have antifibrotic and renoprotective properties, opposing or counteracting the activity of TGFβ1.