Glucagon-like peptide 1 inhibits the sirtuin deacetylase SirT1 to stimulate pancreatic ß-cell mass expansion.

OBJECTIVE: The glucoincretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and stimulates pancreatic ß-cell mass expansion. We have previously shown that the forkhead transcription factor FoxO1 is a prominent transcriptional effector of GLP-1 signaling in the ß-cell. FoxO1 activity is subject to a complex regulation by Akt-dependent phosphorylation and SirT1-mediated deacetylation. In this study, we aimed at investigating the potential role of SirT1 in GLP-1 action. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: FoxO1 acetylation levels and binding to SirT1 were studied by Western immunoblot analysis in INS832/13 cells. SirT1 activity was evaluated using an in vitro deacetylation assay and correlated with the NAD(+)-to-NADH ratio. The implication of SirT1 in GLP-1-induced proliferation was investigated by BrdU incorporation assay. Furthermore, we determined ß-cell replication and mass in wild-type and transgenic mice with SirT1 gain of function after daily administration of exendin-4 for 1 week. RESULTS: Our data show that GLP-1 increases FoxO1 acetylation, decreases the binding of SirT1 to FoxO1, and stunts SirT1 activity in ß-INS832/13 cells. GLP-1 decreases both the NAD(+)-to-NADH ratio and SirT1 expression in INS cells and isolated islets, thereby providing possible mechanisms by which GLP-1 could modulate SirT1 activity. Finally, the action of GLP-1 on ß-cell mass expansion is abolished in both transgenic mice and cultured ß-cells with increased dosage of SirT1. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows for the first time that the glucoincretin hormone GLP-1 modulates SirT1 activity and FoxO1 acetylation in ß-cells. We also identify SirT1 as a negative regulator of ß-cell proliferation.

Role of sensory activity on chemospecific populations of interneurons in the adult olfactory bulb.

The olfactory bulb (OB) retains a remarkable capacity to renew its interneuronal populations throughout the lifespan of animals. Neuronal precursors giving rise to the bulbar interneurons are generated in the subventricular zone and have to migrate long distances before reaching the OB. In the adult OB these neuronal precursors differentiate into distinct neuronal types, including GABAergic cells located in the granule cell layer and a diverse set of neurons in the glomerular layer comprising GABAergic and dopaminergic interneurons, as well as other neuronal subtypes expressing calretinin and calbindin. While the role of sensory activity in the integration and/or survival of newly generated cells in the olfactory system is well established, very little is known about how odorant-induced activity affects fate specification of newborn cells as well as survival and fate maintenance of preexisting neuronal populations generated in adulthood. The present study demonstrates that sensory deprivation diminishes not only the number of newborn cells in the OB, but also reduces the density of granule and periglomerular cells generated before nostril occlusion. It also shows that sensory activity has an important influence on the development and expression of dopaminergic, but not GABAergic, calretinin or calbindin phenotypes. Our data reveal that odorant-induced activity is important for the survival of both newborn and preexisting OB interneurons generated at adulthood and suggests that these chemospecific populations are differentially affected by sensory deprivation.