Excess lipid deposition in hepatocytes is a hallmark feature of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The present study was designed to explore the expression and regulation of aquaporin (AQP) 3 and AQP9 in oleic acid-induced hepatic steatosis. HepG2 cells were incubated with oleic acid at different concentrations and time points. Oil-Red-O staining and triglyceride content measurement were done to assess the extent of hepatic steatosis. The expression of AQP3 and AQP9 was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analyses. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways involved in the regulation of AQP3 and AQP9 expression were checked. Compared to untreated control cells, oleic acid treatment significantly (p<0.05) induced hepatic steatosis in HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Oleic acid-treated cells showed a significant reduction in the AQP3 expression and a concomitant increase in the AQP9 expression. Oleic acid exposure led to enhanced phosphorylation of p38, but not ERK1/2 or JNK MAPK. Pharmacological inhibition of p38 rather than ERK1/2 signaling significantly blocked the regulation of AQP3 and AQP9 expression by oleic acid. Oleic acid-induced hepatic steatosis in HepG2 cells is associated with the coordinated regulation of AQP3 and AQP9 via activation of p38 signaling. These findings warrant functional studies of aquaglyceroporins in NAFLD.
Abstract. Aquaporin (AQP) 9 transports glycerol and water, and belongs to the aquaglyceroporin subfamily. Insulin acts as a negative regulator of AQP9, and FOXO1 has the ability to mediate the regulatory effects of insulin on target gene expression. The aim of the present study was to determine whether insulin-induced repression of AQP9 involved an epigenetic mechanism. HepG2 human hepatocyte cells were treated with 500 µM insulin for different durations. AQP9 mRNA expression levels were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and histone H3 acetylation, phosphorylation and methylation at the insulin responsive element (IRE) of the AQP9 promoter was assessed using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with qPCR. The effects of lentiviral FOXO1 overexpression on AQP9 expression levels and H3 modifications at the AQP9 promoter were also determined. The insulin treatment resulted in a significant and time-dependent reduction in AQP9 mRNA expression levels in HepG2 cells, as compared with untreated cells (P<0.05). In the insulin-treated cells, the levels of H3 acetylation and phosphorylation were significantly reduced (P<0.05), but the level of H3 methylation was increased. Enforced expression of FOXO1 increased AQP9 mRNA and protein expression levels in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, FOXO1 overexpression promoted H3 acetylation and phosphorylation, and reduced H3 methylation at the IRE locus of the AQP9 promoter. These data provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence that insulin-induced transcriptional suppression of AQP9 expression in hepatocytes involves FOXO1-mediated H3 modifications at the IRE locus in the promoter. IntroductionAquaporins (AQPs) are a family of ubiquitous membrane proteins that form pores for the selective permeation of water and other small molecules (1). Aquaglyceroporins belong to a subgroup of the AQP family and are able to transport small organic compounds, such as glycerol or urea. Overall, five molecules (AQP3, AQP7, AQP9, AQP10 and bacterial glycerol facilitator) have been classified as aquaglyceroporins (2). AQP9 is most abundantly expressed in the liver (3). Rojek et al (4) reported that AQP9 knockout mice exhibit hypertriacylglycerolemia, a sign of metabolic syndrome. AQP9 is implicated in hepatic glycerol transport and consequently contributes to neoglucogenesis (5). Therefore, the dysregulation of AQP9 gene expression is important in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders.Compelling evidence has indicated that insulin acts as a key regulator of AQP9 (6,7). The AQP9 promoter contains a negative insulin response element (IRE), TGTTTTC, at -496/-502 and AQP9 mRNA expression is downregulated by insulin in cultured hepatocytes (6). Rodríguez et al (8) observed that insulin inhibited the expression of AQP9 via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. In a rat model, hepatic AQP9 expression levels were found to fluctuate with circulating insulin levels (9). Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is a forkhead transcriptional factor that mediates the regulatory effect...
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