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Glucocorticoids are required for metabolic adaptations during times of stress. However, chronic glucocorticoid exposure is associated with metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance. Glucocorticoids mainly convey their signals through an intracellular glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GR is a transcription factor that requires interactions with transcriptional coregulators to modulate the transcription of GR primary target genes, which in turn regulate specific aspects of physiology. Euchromatic Histone Methyltransferase 2 (Ehmt2) is a transcriptional coregulator for GR that can act as a corepressor or a coactivator. We found that glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance was exacerbated when Ehmt2 levels were reduced in the liver. Intriguingly, this phenotype resulted from the transactivation function of Ehmt2. This is because a mutation at the lysine 182 automethylation site, which is required for the coactivation but not the corepression function of Ehmt2, results in similar exacerbated GC-induced insulin resistance. These results suggest that Ehmt2 coactivation dependent GR primary target genes restrict the extent of glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance. Gene expression analysis identified Dusp4 (a.k.a. Mkp-2) as an Ehmt2 coactivation dependent GR-activated gene, which when overexpressed in liver, attenuated glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance. Thus, we have identified a novel GR-Ehmt2-Dusp4 axis that plays a key role in controlling the extent of the development of insulin resistance. Notably, the classical view of how GC induce hepatic insulin resistance is that GR activates genes that inhibit insulin signaling and enhance hepatic gluconeogenesis. Our study, however, provides a revolutionary concept in which the extent of GC-induced insulin resistance is controlled by the balance of GR-activated genes that promote insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance.

ENDO 2020

The Transcriptional Coactivation Function of EHMT2 Restricts Chronic Glucocorticoid Exposure Induced Insulin Resistance

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ENDO is the place where leading experts, researchers, and the most respected clinicians in the field come together to share the latest findings in hormone science and discuss breakthroughs in clinical care.

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Kisspeptin as a Biomarker for Pregnancy Complications

Ovarian Follicle Survival Is Determined by Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR) and Estrogen Receptor (GPER) Heteromers

The homeodomain transcription factor SIX3 is necessary for normal reproductive processes in mice. The loss of a single allele results in haploinsufficient phenotypes that are reflective of individuals with Kallmann Syndrome, such as hypogonadism, reduced GnRH neurons, and anosmia. Six3 heterozygous mice have reproductive impairments including an increased time to first litter, increased estrous cycle lengths in females, and fewer litters in males compared to wildtype controls. Prior studies found that deleting SIX3 specifically from GnRH neurons did not recapitulate the same phenotypes produced from a global knockout of the Six3 allele and imposed no reproductive abnormalities. This suggests that the role of SIX3 in reproduction is due to SIX3 populations outside of GnRH neurons. Using qPCR and RNA-seq, we have verified that Six3 is expressed in arcuate nucleus (ARC) and anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) populations of kisspeptin neurons and can regulate the kisspeptin promoter in vitro. This led us to hypothesize that SIX3 in kisspeptin neurons is required for Kiss1 regulation and maximal fertility. We selectively deleted Six3 from kisspeptin neurons by crossing a Six3-floxed mouse with a Kiss1-Cre mouse to produce Six3 flox/flox; Kiss1-Cre positive mice (cKO) and Six3 flox/flox, Kiss-Cre negative littermates (controls). In female mice, we found that the loss of SIX3 from kisspeptin neurons disrupted the estrous cycle and reduced fertility. Compared to controls, cKO mice had fewer cycles in a 16-day period (0.38 vs 1.44; p=0.004; n=8-9), and spent a greater percentage of time in diestrus (80.5 vs 61.8; p=0.002; n=8-9) and a smaller percentage of time in estrus (15.6 vs 29.2; p=0.030; n=8-9). The loss of kisspeptin-specific SIX3 also resulted in reduced fecundity, with the cKO female mice having fewer pups within 90 days (15.0 vs 34.4; p=0.048; n=5-6) compared to controls. In addition to its importance in female mice, kisspeptin-specific SIX3 also plays a role in male fertility. We found that male cKO mice had reduced motile sperm (52.2% vs 72.5%; p=0.012; n=7-9) compared to controls. We also assayed levels of Kiss1 mRNA in the male arcuate nucleus and observed decreased Kiss1 levels compared to controls (0.34 vs 1.01; p=0.042; n=3-4). These results support our hypothesis that SIX3 in kisspeptin neurons is necessary for critical reproductive processes in both females and males, including progression through the estrous cycle, fecundity, and sperm motility, potentially through Kiss1 regulation.

The Expression of the Homeodomain Transcription Factor SIX3 within Kisspeptin Neurons Is Necessary for Reproduction in Mice

Circadian Regulation of Chromatin State Mediates Pancreatic Incretin ResponseThe circadian clock is programmed by an autoregulatory transcription feedback loop present in brain and peripheral tissues that coordinates metabolism with nutritional state and the sleep-wake cycle. Epidemiologic and genetic studies indicate circadian disruption as a risk factor in the development of diabetes. We have demonstrated that conditional ablation of the β cell clock in adult life leads to hypoinsulinemic diabetes, and through mRNA-sequencing in mouse and human islets we revealed clock control of gene networks involved in insulin secretion, nutrient sensing, and exocytosis. A remaining question is: How does the core molecular clock modulate time-of-day dependent chromatin state to regulate pancreatic islet response to glucose and insulin secretagogues? Here we report that loss of the pancreatic β cell molecular clock results in closed chromatin at cAMP-responsive gene regulatory elements and dysregulated cAMP-dependent coregulator recruitment following cAMP agonism, consistent with a role for the molecular clock in mediating cell response to environmental stimuli. Further, tandem analyses of ATAC- and ChIP-sequencing in synchronized islets revealed dynamic chromatin accessibility across the 24-hour cycle at genes regulating insulin secretion and at genomic regions enriched for signal-inducible and circadian transcription factor motifs. Our genome-wide sequencing reveals a new role for the clock in global chromatin remodeling underlying the incretin response in pancreatic β cells.

Circadian Regulation of Chromatin State Mediates Pancreatic Islet Incretin Response

Pparg is a nuclear receptor that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. Thiazolidinediones (TZD) are PPARG agonists that may reduce hepatic steatosis through their effects in adipose tissue. However, some studies suggest that expression and activation of hepatocyte Pparg promotes steatosis. In this study, we have assessed the relevance of hepatocyte Pparg, and its TZD-mediated activation in the development and/or reduction of steatosis, with adult-onset hepatocyte-specific Pparg knockout (PpargΔHep) mice. We reported that a single iv injection of AAV8-TBG-Cre in Pparg-floxed mice, knocked out hepatocyte Pparg expression (PpargΔHep mice), and that prevented diet-induced steatosis. In this study, a group of 5 wk-old Pparg-floxed mice were fed a low fat (LF) or a high fat (HF) diet for 7 weeks before generating control and PpargΔHep mice. Then, half of the HF-fed mice in each group were switched to a HF diet supplemented with the TZD Rosiglitazone maleate, for 5 weeks. HF diet induced mild obesity (36.8 +/- 1.4 g of body weight [BW]), while TZD slightly increased BW (41.3 +/- 1.3 g) and insulin sensitivity. Liver weight was not altered in HF-fed mice with or without TZD, and we did not observe any effect induced by PpargΔHep. Due to the mild phenotype observed in this cohort, we generated a 2nd cohort adjusting for age and length of diet. Briefly, 10 wk-old Pparg-floxed mice were fed a LF or HF diet for 16 weeks before generating control and PpargΔHep mice. Then, half of the HF-fed mice in each group were switched to a HF diet supplemented with Rosiglitazone maleate for 7 weeks. In this group of mice, HF diet induced obesity (50.1 +/- 1.05 g BW), and increased liver weight independent of hepatic Pparg expression. TZD treatment exacerbated obesity (62.4 +/- 1.2g BW) and adiposity, but increased insulin sensitivity as compared to mice fed a HF diet without TZD. Interestingly, PpargΔHep mice fed a HF diet with TZD showed enlarged subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissue weight, and a dramatic reduction in liver weight and steatosis as compared to obese control mice treated with TZD. The expression of hepatic Cd36, Cidea, Cidec, and Fabp4 was increased by TZD in a Pparg-dependent manner in HF-fed mice. Altogether, this data suggest that hepatocyte Pparg expression may offset the antisteatogenic actions of TZD in mice with severe obesity. In obese and insulin resistant individuals, TZD-mediated activation of hepatocyte Pparg may exacerbate steatosis.

The Transcriptional Coactivation Function of EHMT2 Restricts Chronic Glucocorticoid Exposure Induced Insulin Resistance

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