Synergistic effects of ascorbic acid and thiazolidinedione on secretion of high molecular weight adiponectin from human adipocytes.

AIM: To test the hypothesis that ascorbic acid (AA) and thiazolidinedione (TZD) would have additive effects on HMW adiponectin secretion by virtue of different modes of action. METHODS: We determined the effects of supplementation of AA and/or TZD on expression and secretion of total and HMW adiponectin from human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) adipocytes in the absence or presence of the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα. RESULTS: AA supplementation significantly increased secretion of HMW adiponectin (1.7-fold) without altering adiponectin expression or total adiponectin secretion. TZD significantly increased expression (3-fold) and secretion of total (1.4-fold) but not HMW adiponectin. Combined supplementation resulted in a significant increase in expression (3-fold) and secretion of total (1.8-fold) and HMW (5-fold) adiponectin. Similar results were seen in cells co-treated with TNFα. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that AA and TZD have synergistic rather than simple additive effects on secretion of HMW adiponectin from human adipocytes and raise the possibility that differences in AA levels may contribute to the variability in adiponectin multimer profiles and efficacy of TZD in humans. Our results also provide a rationale for longitudinal clinical trials investigating the effects of AA supplementation with or without TZD on adiponectin and metabolic profiles.

Glucocorticoid receptor-interacting protein-1 and receptor-associated coactivator-3 differentially interact with the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and regulate VDR-retinoid X receptor transcriptional cross-talk.

The vitamin D(3) receptor (VDR) is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear hormone receptor, and its ligand, calcitriol, has diverse biological effects. The extent to which transcriptional coactivators are involved in modulating tissue-specific functions of the VDR is unclear. Hence, the current studies investigated the role of p160 coactivators in regulating VDR function and interaction with RXR. Two p160 coactivators, glucocorticoid receptor-interacting protein-1 (GRIP1) and receptor-associated coactivator-3 (RAC3), which are expressed in an inverse fashion in cell lines representative of calcitriol target tissues, interacted directly with the VDR, both in vitro and in yeast cells, but only in the presence of calcitriol. Deletional analyses of VDR indicated that GRIP1 and RAC3 required an intact VDR activation function (AF-2) domain for efficient interaction as well as additional but distinct regions of the VDR. Coexpression experiments in yeast cells indicated that both GRIP1 and RAC3 coassemble with the VDR to form an active transcriptional complex. They also form ternary complexes with VDR homodimers and VDR:RXRalpha heterodimers. In mammalian cells, GRIP1 augmented VDR activation of the osteocalcin promoter, whereas RAC3 enhanced VDR activation indirectly through RXR. These data suggest different coactivators regulate VDR function via distinct mechanisms and support the hypothesis that the VDR recruits different coactivators depending on specific gene and cellular contexts.