Metformin is considered to be one of the most effective therapeutics for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) since it specifically reduces hepatic gluconeogenesis without increasing insulin secretion, inducing weight gain, or posing a risk of hypoglycemia1,2. For over half a century, this agent has been prescribed to T2D patients worldwide, yet the underlying mechanism by which metformin inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis remains unknown. Here we show that metformin non-competitively inhibits the redox shuttle enzyme mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (mGPD), resulting in an altered hepatocellular redox state, reduced conversion of lactate and glycerol to glucose, and decreased hepatic gluconeogenesis. Acute and chronic low-dose metformin treatment effectively reduced endogenous glucose production (EGP), while increasing cytosolic redox and decreasing mitochondrial redox states. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) knockdown of hepatic mGPD in rats resulted in a phenotype akin to chronic metformin treatment, and abrogated metformin-mediated increases in cytosolic redox state, decrease in plasma glucose concentrations and inhibition of EGP. These findings were replicated in whole-body mGPD knockout mice. These results have significant implications for understanding the mechanism of metformin’s blood glucose lowering effects and provide a novel therapeutic target for T2D.

SUMMARY While fatty acids (FAs) released by white adipose tissue (WAT) provide energy for other organs, lipolysis is also critical in brown adipose tissue (BAT), generating FAs for oxidation and UCP-1 activation for thermogenesis. Here, we show that adipose-specific ablation of desnutrin/ATGL in mice converts BAT to a WAT-like tissue. These mice exhibit severely impaired thermogenesis with increased expression of WAT-enriched genes but decreased BAT genes including UCP-1 with lower PPARα binding to its promoter, revealing the requirement of desnutrin-catalyzed lipolysis for maintaining BAT phenotype. We also show that desnutrin is phosphorylated by AMPK at S406, increasing TAG hydrolase activity, and provide evidence for increased lipolysis by AMPK phosphorylation of desnutrin in adipocytes and in vivo. Despite adiposity and impaired BAT function, desnutrin-ASKO mice have improved hepatic insulin sensitivity with lower DAG levels. Overall, desnutrin is phosphorylated/activated by AMPK to increase lipolysis and brings FA oxidation and UCP-1 induction for thermogenesis.

A main function of white adipose tissue is to release fatty acids from triacylglycerol for other tissues to use as an energy source. While endocrine regulation of lipolysis has been extensively studied, autocrine/paracrine regulation is not well understood. Here, we describe the role of AdPLA, the newly identified major adipocyte phospholipase A2, in the regulation of lipolysis and adiposity. AdPLA null mice have a markedly higher rate of lipolysis, due to increased cAMP levels arising from the marked reduction in adipose PGE2 that binds the Gαi-coupled receptor, EP3. AdPLA null mice have drastically reduced adipose tissue mass and triglyceride content, with normal adipogenesis. They also have higher energy expenditure with higher fatty acid oxidation within adipocytes. AdPLA deficient ob/ob mice remain hyperphagic but lean, with increased energy expenditure, yet have ectopic triglyceride storage and insulin resistance. AdPLA is a major regulator of adipocyte lipolysis and critical for the development of obesity.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ coactivator (PGC)-1␣ has been shown to play critical roles in regulating mitochondria biogenesis, respiration, and muscle oxidative phenotype. Furthermore, reductions in the expression of PGC-1␣ in muscle have been implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. To determine the effect of increased muscle-specific PGC-1␣ expression on muscle mitochondrial function and glucose and lipid metabolism in vivo, we examined body composition, energy balance, and liver and muscle insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies and muscle energetics by using 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopy in transgenic mice. Increased expression of PGC-1␣ in muscle resulted in a 2.4-fold increase in mitochondrial density, which was associated with an Ϸ60% increase in the unidirectional rate of ATP synthesis. Surprisingly, there was no effect of increased muscle PGC-1␣ expression on whole-body energy expenditure, and PGC-1␣ transgenic mice were more prone to fat-induced insulin resistance because of decreased insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake. The reduced insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake could most likely be attributed to a relative increase in fatty acid delivery/triglyceride reesterfication, as reflected by increased expression of CD36, acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase1, and mitochondrial acyl-CoA:glycerol-sn-3-phosphate acyltransferase, that may have exceeded mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, resulting in increased intracellular lipid accumulation and an increase in the membrane to cytosol diacylglycerol content. This, in turn, caused activation of PKC , decreased insulin signaling at the level of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) tyrosine phosphorylation, and skeletal muscle insulin resistance.diacylglycerol ͉ fatty acid oxidation ͉ insulin resistance ͉ magnetic resonance spectroscopy ͉ mitochondria

SUMMARY Aging-associated muscle insulin resistance has been hypothesized to be due to decreased mitochondrial function, secondary to cumulative free radical damage, leading to increased intramyocellular lipid content. To directly test this hypothesis we examined both in vivo and in vitro mitochondrial function, intramyocellular lipid content and insulin action in lean healthy mice with targeted overexpression of the human catalase gene to mitochondria (MCAT mice). Here we show that MCAT mice are protected from age-induced decrease in muscle mitochondrial function (~30%), energy metabolism (~7%) and lipid-induced muscle insulin resistance. This protection from age-induced reduction in mitochondrial function was associated with reduced mitochondrial oxidative damage, preserved mitochondrial respiration and muscle ATP synthesis and AMP-activated protein kinase-induced mitochondrial biogenesis. Taken together these data suggest that the preserved mitochondrial function maintained by reducing mitochondrial oxidative damage may prevent age-associated whole body energy imbalance and muscle insulin resistance.

The H19 lncRNA has been implicated in development and growth control and is associated with human genetic disorders and cancer. Acting as a molecular sponge, H19 inhibits microRNA (miRNA) let-7. Here we report that H19 is significantly decreased in muscle of human subjects with type-2 diabetes and insulin resistant rodents. This decrease leads to increased bioavailability of let-7, causing diminished expression of let-7 targets, which is recapitulated in vitro where H19 depletion results in impaired insulin signaling and decreased glucose uptake. Furthermore, acute hyperinsulinemia downregulates H19, a phenomenon that occurs through PI3K/AKT-dependent phosphorylation of the miRNA processing factor KSRP, which promotes biogenesis of let-7 and its mediated H19 destabilization. Our results reveal a previously undescribed double-negative feedback loop between sponge lncRNA and target miRNA that contributes to glucose regulation in muscle cells.

VT, Shulman GI. A high-fat, ketogenic diet causes hepatic insulin resistance in mice, despite increasing energy expenditure and preventing weight gain. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 299: E808 -E815, 2010. First published August 31, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00361.2010.-Low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diets (KD) have been suggested to be more effective in promoting weight loss than conventional caloric restriction, whereas their effect on hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism and the mechanisms by which they may promote weight loss remain controversial. The aim of this study was to explore the role of KD on liver and muscle insulin sensitivity, hepatic lipid metabolism, energy expenditure, and food intake. Using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, we studied insulin action in mice fed a KD or regular chow (RC). Body composition was assessed by 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Despite being 15% lighter (P Ͻ 0.001) than RC-fed mice because of a 17% increase in energy expenditure (P Ͻ 0.001), KD-fed mice manifested severe hepatic insulin resistance, as reflected by decreased suppression (0% vs. 100% in RC-fed mice, P Ͻ 0.01) of endogenous glucose production during the clamp. Hepatic insulin resistance could be attributed to a 350% increase in hepatic diacylglycerol content (P Ͻ 0.001), resulting in increased activation of PKCε (P Ͻ 0.05) and decreased insulin receptor substrate-2 tyrosine phosphorylation (P Ͻ 0.01). Food intake was 56% (P Ͻ 0.001) lower in KD-fed mice, despite similar caloric intake, and could partly be attributed to a more than threefold increase (P Ͻ 0.05) in plasma N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine concentrations. In conclusion, despite preventing weight gain in mice, KD induces hepatic insulin resistance secondary to increased hepatic diacylglycerol content. Given the key role of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the development of type 2 diabetes and the widespread use of KD for the treatment of obesity, these results may have potentially important clinical implications. nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; weight loss; diacylglycerol; ceramide; protein kinase Cε; FGF21 OBESITY IS RISING WORLDWIDE at an alarming rate (27). The clinical consequences of obesity are numerous and include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes. Although caloric restriction promotes weight loss, long-term compliance with most diets is poor (7). In this regard, ketogenic diets (KD) have been suggested to be more efficacious than conventional caloric restriction by promoting a reduction in hunger (1).Although some human studies have found KD to be effective in short-term weight loss (16,43,45), the effect of KD on glucose metabolism remains controversial (5,8,23,30,37). In most of these studies, insulin sensitivity was assessed by nonspecific indexes, such as the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (40) and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (24), both of which rely on fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. Recent studies in mice have...

SUMMARY Reduced expression of the Indy (= I am Not Dead, Yet) gene in D. melanogaster and C. elegans prolongs life span, and in D. melanogaster augments mitochondrial biogenesis in a manner akin to caloric restriction. However, the cellular mechanism by which Indy does this is unknown. Here, we report on the knockout-mouse model of the mammalian Indy (mIndy) homologue, SLC13A5. Deletion of mIndy in mice (mINDY−/− mice) reduces hepatocellular ATP/ADP ratio, activates hepatic AMPK, induces PGC-1α, inhibits ACC-2, and reduces SREBP-1c levels. This signaling network promotes hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis, lipid oxidation, and energy expenditure and attenuates hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Together, these traits protect mINDY−/− mice from the adiposity and insulin resistance that evolve with high-fat feeding and aging. Our studies demonstrate a profound effect of mIndy on mammalian energy metabolism and suggest that mINDY might be a therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.