Deoxysphingolipids: Atypical Skeletal Muscle Lipids Related to Insulin Resistance in Humans That Decrease Insulin Sensitivity In Vitro.

Sphingolipids are thought to promote skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Deoxysphingolipids (dSLs) are atypical sphingolipids that are increased in the plasma of individuals with type 2 diabetes and cause ß-cell dysfunction in vitro. However, their role in human skeletal muscle is unknown. We found that dSL species are significantly elevated in muscle of individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes compared with athletes and lean individuals and are inversely related to insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, we observed a significant reduction in muscle dSL content in individuals with obesity who completed a combined weight loss and exercise intervention. Increased dSL content in primary human myotubes caused a decrease in insulin sensitivity associated with increased inflammation, decreased AMPK phosphorylation, and altered insulin signaling. Our findings reveal a central role for dSL in human muscle insulin resistance and suggest dSLs as therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: Deoxysphingolipids (dSLs) are atypical sphingolipids elevated in the plasma of individuals with type 2 diabetes, and their role in muscle insulin resistance has not been investigated. We evaluated dSL in vivo in skeletal muscle from cross-sectional and longitudinal insulin-sensitizing intervention studies and in vitro in myotubes manipulated to synthesize higher dSLs. dSLs were increased in the muscle of people with insulin resistance, inversely correlated to insulin sensitivity, and significantly decreased after an insulin-sensitizing intervention; increased intracellular dSL concentrations cause myotubes to become more insulin resistant. Reduction of muscle dSL levels is a potential novel therapeutic target to prevent/treat skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

Deoxysphingolipids - atypical skeletal muscle lipids related to insulin resistance in humans that decrease insulin sensitivity in vitro.

Sphingolipids are thought to promote skeletal muscle insulin resistance. 1-Deoxysphingolipids (dSL) are atypical sphingolipids that are increased in plasma of individuals with type 2 diabetes and cause ß-cell dysfunction in vitro. However, their role in human skeletal muscle in unknown. We found that dSL species are significantly elevated in muscle of individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes compared to athletes and lean individuals and are inversely related to insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, we observed a significant reduction in muscle dSL content in individuals with obesity who completed a combined weight loss and exercise intervention. Increased dSL content in primary human myotubes caused a decrease in insulin sensitivity associated with increased inflammation, decreased AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation, and altered insulin signaling. Our findings reveal a central role for dSL in human muscle insulin resistance and suggest dSL as therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue gene expression profiling identifies new biomarkers with prognostic significance for insulin resistance progression and intervention response.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Although insulin resistance often leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus, its early stages are often unrecognised, thus reducing the probability of successful prevention and intervention. Moreover, treatment efficacy is affected by the genetics of the individual. We used gene expression profiles from a cross-sectional study to identify potential candidate genes for the prediction of diabetes risk and intervention response. METHODS: Using a multivariate regression model, we linked gene expression profiles of human skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) to fasting glucose levels and glucose infusion rate. Based on the expression patterns of the top predictive genes, we characterised and compared individual gene expression with clinical classifications using k-nearest neighbour clustering. The predictive potential of the candidate genes identified was validated using muscle gene expression data from a longitudinal intervention study. RESULTS: We found that genes with a strong association with clinical measures clustered into three distinct expression patterns. Their predictive values for insulin resistance varied substantially between skeletal muscle and IMAT. Moreover, we discovered that individual gene expression-based classifications may differ from classifications based predominantly on clinical variables, indicating that participant stratification may be imprecise if only clinical variables are used for classification. Of the 15 top candidate genes, ST3GAL2, AASS, ARF1 and the transcription factor SIN3A are novel candidates for predicting a refined diabetes risk and intervention response. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: Our results confirm that disease progression and successful intervention depend on individual gene expression states. We anticipate that our findings may lead to a better understanding and prediction of individual diabetes risk and may help to develop individualised intervention strategies.

Keeping It Local in Metabolic Disease: Adipose Tissue Paracrine Signaling and Insulin Resistance.

Alterations in adipose tissue composition and function are associated with obesity and contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. While the significance of this relationship has been cemented, our understanding of the multifaceted role of adipose tissue in metabolic heath and disease continues to evolve and expand. Heterogenous populations of cells that make up adipose tissue throughout the body generate diverse secretomes containing a mosaic of bioactive compounds with vast structural and signaling capabilities. While there are many reports highlighting the important role of adipose tissue endocrine signaling in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, the direct, local, paracrine effect of adipose tissue has received less attention. Recent studies have begun to underscore the importance of considering anatomically discrete adipose depots for their specific impact on local microenvironments and metabolic function in neighboring tissues as well as regulation of whole-body physiology. This article highlights the important role of adipose tissue paracrine signaling on metabolic function and insulin sensitivity in nearby tissues and organs, specifically focusing on visceral, pancreatic, subcutaneous, intermuscular, and perivascular adipose tissue depots.

Palmitic acid triggers inflammatory responses in N42 cultured hypothalamic cells partially via ceramide synthesis but not via TLR4.

A high-fat diet induces hypothalamic inflammation in rodents which, in turn, contributes to the development of obesity by eliciting both insulin and leptin resistance. However, the mechanism by which long-chain saturated fatty acids trigger inflammation is still contentious. To elucidate this mechanism, the effect of fatty acids on the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFα was investigated in the mHypoE-N42 hypothalamic cell line (N42). N42 cells were treated with lauric acid (LA) and palmitic acid (PA). PA challenge was carried out in the presence of either a TLR4 inhibitor, a ceramide synthesis inhibitor (L-cycloserine), oleic acid (OA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Intracellular ceramide accumulation was quantified using LC-ESI-MS/MS. PA but not LA upregulated IL-6 and TNFα. L-cycloserine, OA and EPA all counteracted PA-induced intracellular ceramide accumulation leading to a downregulation of IL-6 and TNFα. However, a TLR4 inhibitor failed to inhibit PA-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines.In conclusion, PA induced the expression of IL-6 and TNFα in N42 neuronal cells independently of TLR4 but, partially, via ceramide synthesis with OA and EPA being anti-inflammatory by decreasing PA-induced intracellular ceramide build-up. Thus, ceramide accumulation represents one on the mechanisms by which PA induces inflammation in neurons.

Trisomy 21 activates the kynurenine pathway via increased dosage of interferon receptors.

Trisomy 21 (T21) causes Down syndrome (DS), affecting immune and neurological function by ill-defined mechanisms. Here we report a large metabolomics study of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, showing in independent cohorts that people with DS produce elevated levels of kynurenine and quinolinic acid, two tryptophan catabolites with potent immunosuppressive and neurotoxic properties, respectively. Immune cells of people with DS overexpress IDO1, the rate-limiting enzyme in the kynurenine pathway (KP) and a known interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene. Furthermore, the levels of IFN-inducible cytokines positively correlate with KP dysregulation. Using metabolic tracing assays, we show that overexpression of IFN receptors encoded on chromosome 21 contribute to enhanced IFN stimulation, thereby causing IDO1 overexpression and kynurenine overproduction in cells with T21. Finally, a mouse model of DS carrying triplication of IFN receptors exhibits KP dysregulation. Together, our results reveal a mechanism by which T21 could drive immunosuppression and neurotoxicity in DS.

Intermuscular adipose tissue directly modulates skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in humans.

Intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) is negatively related to insulin sensitivity, but a causal role of IMAT in the development of insulin resistance is unknown. IMAT was sampled in humans to test for the ability to induce insulin resistance in vitro and characterize gene expression to uncover how IMAT may promote skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Human primary muscle cells were incubated with conditioned media from IMAT, visceral (VAT), or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) to evaluate changes in insulin sensitivity. RNAseq analysis was performed on IMAT with gene expression compared with skeletal muscle and SAT, and relationships to insulin sensitivity were determined in men and women spanning a wide range of insulin sensitivity measured by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Conditioned media from IMAT and VAT decreased insulin sensitivity similarly compared with SAT. Multidimensional scaling analysis revealed distinct gene expression patterns in IMAT compared with SAT and muscle. Pathway analysis revealed that IMAT expression of genes in insulin signaling, oxidative phosphorylation, and peroxisomal metabolism related positively to donor insulin sensitivity, whereas expression of macrophage markers, inflammatory cytokines, and secreted extracellular matrix proteins were negatively related to insulin sensitivity. Perilipin 5 gene expression suggested greater IMAT lipolysis in insulin-resistant individuals. Combined, these data show that factors secreted from IMAT modulate muscle insulin sensitivity, possibly via secretion of inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix proteins, and by increasing local FFA concentration in humans. These data suggest IMAT may be an important regulator of skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and could be a novel therapeutic target for skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

Intracellular localization of diacylglycerols and sphingolipids influences insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function in human skeletal muscle.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of diacylglycerol (DAG) and sphingolipids is thought to promote skeletal muscle insulin resistance by altering cellular signaling specific to their location. However,the subcellular localization of bioactive lipids in human skeletal muscle is largely unknown. METHODS: We evaluated subcellular localization of skeletal muscle DAGs and sphingolipids in lean individuals (n = 15), endurance-trained athletes (n = 16), and obese men and women with (n = 12) and without type 2 diabetes (n = 15). Muscle biopsies were fractionated into sarcolemmal, cytosolic, mitochondrial/ER, and nuclear compartments. Lipids were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and insulin sensitivity was measured using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. RESULTS: Sarcolemmal 1,2-DAGs were not significantly related to insulin sensitivity. Sarcolemmal ceramides were inversely related to insulin sensitivity, with a significant relationship found for the C18:0 species. Sarcolemmal sphingomyelins were also inversely related to insulin sensitivity, with the strongest relationships found for the C18:1, C18:0, and C18:2 species. In the mitochondrial/ER and nuclear fractions, 1,2-DAGs were positively related to, while ceramides were inversely related to, insulin sensitivity. Cytosolic lipids as well as 1,3-DAG, dihydroceramides, and glucosylceramides in any compartment were not related to insulin sensitivity. All sphingolipids but only specific DAGs administered to isolated mitochondria decreased mitochondrial state 3 respiration. CONCLUSION: These data reveal previously unknown differences in subcellular localization of skeletal muscle DAGs and sphingolipids that relate to whole-body insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function in humans. These data suggest that whole-cell concentrations of lipids obscure meaningful differences in compartmentalization and suggest that subcellular localization of lipids should be considered when developing therapeutic interventions to treat insulin resistance. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health General Clinical Research Center (RR-00036), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (R01DK089170), NIDDK (T32 DK07658), and Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (P30DK048520).