Lipid-induced Muscle Insulin Resistance Is Mediated by GGPPS via Modulation of the RhoA/Rho Kinase Signaling Pathway.

Elevated circulating free fatty acid levels are important contributors to insulin resistance in the muscle and liver, but the underlying mechanisms require further elucidation. Here, we show that geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 1 (GGPPS), which is a branch point enzyme in the mevalonic acid pathway, promotes lipid-induced muscle insulin resistance through activation of the RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway. We have found that metabolic perturbation would increase GGPPS expression in the skeletal muscles of db/db mice and high fat diet-fed mice. To address the metabolic effects of GGPPS activity in skeletal muscle, we generated mice with specific GGPPS deletions in their skeletal muscle tissue. Heterozygous knock-out of GGPPS in the skeletal muscle improved systemic insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in mice fed both normal chow and high fat diets. These metabolic alterations were accompanied by activated PI3K/Akt signaling and enhanced glucose uptake in the skeletal muscle. Further investigation showed that the free fatty acid-stimulated GGPPS expression in the skeletal muscle was able to enhance the geranylgeranylation of RhoA, which further induced the inhibitory phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Ser-307) by increasing Rho kinase activity. These results implicate a crucial role of the GGPPS/RhoA/Rho kinase/IRS-1 pathway in skeletal muscle, in which it mediates lipid-induced systemic insulin resistance in obese mice. Therefore, skeletal muscle GGPPS may represent a potential pharmacological target for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

[Near infrared Raman spectra analysis of rhizoma dioscoreae].

A novel and compact near-infrared (NIR) Raman system was developed using 785 nm diode laser, volume-phase technology holographic system, and NIR intensified charge-coupled device (CCD). The Raman spectra and first derivative spectra of rhizoma dioscoreae were obtained. The Raman spectra of rhizoma dioscoreae showed three strong characteristic peaks at 477, 863 and 936 cm(-1), respectively. The major ingredients are protein, amino acid, starch, polysaccharides and so on, matching the known basic biochemical composition of rhizoma dioscoreae. In the first derivative spectra of rhizoma dioscoreae, the distinguishing characteristic peaks appeared at 467, 484, 870 and 943 cm(-1). Contrasted with rhizoma dioscoreae Raman spectra in the ranges of 600 to 800 cm(-1) and 1 000 to 1 400 cm(-1), the changes in rhizoma dioscoreae Raman first derivative spectra are represented more clearly than the rhizoma dioscoreae Raman spectra. So the rhizoma dioscoreae Raman first derivative spectra can be an accurate supplementary analysis method to the rhizoma dioscoreae Raman spectra.