Progression of type 2 diabetes in GK rats affects muscle and liver mitochondria differently: pronounced reduction of complex II flux is observed in liver only

Mitochondria as a target for exercise-mitigated type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of most common metabolic diseases and continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide. Although great efforts have been made to elucidate the pathogenesis of diabetes, the underlying mechanism still remains unclear. Notably, overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that mitochondria are tightly correlated with the development of T2DM, and the defects of mitochondrial function in peripheral insulin-responsive tissues, such as skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue, are crucial drivers of T2DM. Furthermore, exercise training is considered as an effective stimulus for improving insulin sensitivity and hence is regarded as the best strategy to prevent and treat T2DM. Although the precise mechanisms by which exercise alleviates T2DM are not fully understood, mitochondria may be critical for the beneficial effects of exercise.

Increased Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Level Is Not Sufficient for the Neuroprotective Effect of Long-Term Ketogenic Diet in an Animal Model of Early Parkinson's Disease. Exploration of Brain and Liver Energy Metabolism Markers

The benefits of a ketogenic diet in childhood epilepsy steered up hope for neuroprotective effects of hyperketonemia in Parkinson’s disease (PD). There are multiple theoretical reasons but very little actual experimental proof or clinical trials. We examined the long-term effects of the ketogenic diet in an animal model of early PD. A progressive, selective dopaminergic medium size lesion was induced by 6-OHDA injection into the medial forebrain bundle. Animals were kept on the stringent ketogenic diet (1% carbohydrates, 8% protein, 70% fat) for 3 weeks prior and 4 weeks after the brain operation. Locomotor activity, neuron count, dopaminergic terminal density, dopamine level, and turnover were analyzed at three time-points post-lesion, up to 4 weeks after the operation. Energy metabolism parameters (glycogen, mitochondrial complex I and IV, lactate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, glucose) were analyzed in the brain and liver or plasma. Protein expression of enzymes essential for gluconeogenesis (PEPCK, G6PC) and glucose utilization (GCK) was analyzed in the liver. Despite long-term hyperketonemia pre- and post-lesion, the ketogenic diet did not protect against 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neuron lesions. The ketogenic diet only tended to improve locomotor activity and normalize DA turnover in the striatum. Rats fed 7 weeks in total with a restrictive ketogenic diet maintained normoglycemia, and neither gluconeogenesis nor glycogenolysis in the liver was responsible for this effect. Therefore, potentially, the ketogenic diet could be therapeutically helpful to support the late compensatory mechanisms active via glial cells but does not necessarily act against the oxidative stress-induced parkinsonian neurodegeneration itself. A word of caution is required as the stringent ketogenic diet itself also carries the risk of unwanted side effects, so it is important to study the long-term effects of such treatments. More detailed metabolic long-term studies using unified diet parameters are required, and human vs. animal differences should be taken under consideration.

Effect of revascularisation on lower extremity muscle function in combined type 2 diabetes and critical limb threatening ischemia

BACKGROUND

Critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) frequently co-exist and often with less favourable outcome after revascularisation. The objective was to evaluate the effects of revascularisation on muscle function, perfusion and mitochondrial respiration in patients with combined CLTI and T2D.

METHODS

A prospective translational observational study. Two groups of patients facing unilateral peripheral revascularisation was included: Patients suffering from combined disease with CLTI+T2D (n= 14) and patients suffering from CLTI (n= 15). During pedal exercise testing, calf muscle perfusion was monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and leg arterial volume flow in the common femoral artery with duplex ultrasound. Calf muscle biopsy and subsequent assessment of mitochondrial respiratory capacity on isolated muscle fibres was performed. Tests was performed before and six weeks after revascularisation.

RESULTS

After revascularisation, patients CLTI+T2D improved in muscle force from 8.48 kg (CI: 7.49-9.46) to 13.11 kg (CI: 11.58-14.63), (P<.001). Conversely, muscle force in patients suffering from nondiabetic CLTI decreased from 10.03 kg (CI: 9.1-10.96) to 9.73 kg (CI: 8.77- 10.69), (P=0.042). Muscle oxygenation during exercise improved more in the CLTI+T2D group 6.36 AUC (Area Under Curve), ((μM/kg)s) (CI: 5.71-7.01) compared to 2.11 ((μM/kg)s) (CI:1.38-2.83) in the CLTI group (P=.002). No improvement or difference between groups regarding mitochondrial function was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with combined CLTI+T2D, had an unsuspected better effect of revascularisation compared to patients with non-diabetic CLTI, in terms of increased muscle force (MVC) and improved muscle perfusion. Further studies are needed to elucidate the apparent interaction of the CLTI and T2D syndromes.

Adenylate kinase derived ATP shapes respiration and calcium storage of isolated mitochondria

The ratio of ADP and ATP is a natural indicator of cellular bioenergetic state and thus a prominent analyte in metabolism research. Beyond adenylate interconversion via oxidative phosphorylation and ATPase activities, ADP and ATP act as steric regulators of enzymes, e.g. cytochrome C oxidase, and are major factors in mitochondrial calcium storage potential. Consideration of all routes of adenylate conversion is critical to successfully predict their abundance in an experimental system and to correctly interpret many aspects of mitochondrial function. We showcase here how adenylate kinases elicit considerable impact on the outcome of a variety of mitochondrial assays through their drastic manipulation of the adenylate profile. Parameters affected include cytochrome c oxidase activity, P/O ratio, and mitochondrial calcium dynamics. Study of the latter revealed that the presence of ATP is required for mitochondrial calcium to be shaped into a particularly dense form of mitochondrial amorphous calcium phosphate.

Enhanced liver but not muscle OXPHOS in diabetes and reduced glucose output by complex I inhibition

Mitochondrial function is critical in energy metabolism. To fully capture how the mitochondrial function changes in metabolic disorders, we investigated mitochondrial function in liver and muscle of animal models mimicking different types and stages of diabetes. Type 1 diabetic mice were induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The db/db mice were used as type 2 diabetic model. High-fat diet-induced obese mice represented pre-diabetic stage of type 2 diabetes. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) of isolated mitochondria was measured with Clark-type oxygen electrode. Both in early and late stages of type 1 diabetes, liver mitochondrial OXPHOS increased markedly with complex IV-dependent OXPHOS being the most prominent. However, ATP, ADP and AMP contents in the tissue did not change. In pre-diabetes and early stage of type 2 diabetes, liver mitochondrial complex I and II-dependent OXPHOS increased greatly then declined to almost normal at late stage of type 2 diabetes, among which alteration of complex I-dependent OXPHOS was the most significant. In contrast, muscle mitochondrial OXPHOS in HFD, early-stage type 1 and 2 diabetic mice, did not change. In vitro, among inhibitors to each complex, only complex I inhibitor rotenone decreased glucose output in primary hepatocytes without cytotoxicity both in the absence and presence of oleic acid (OA). Rotenone affected cellular energy state and had no effects on cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. Taken together, the mitochondrial OXPHOS of liver but not muscle increased in obesity and diabetes, and only complex I inhibition may ameliorate hyperglycaemia via lowering hepatic glucose production.

Quantification of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation in Metabolic Disease: Application to Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing health concern with nearly 400 million affected worldwide as of 2014. T2D presents with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance resulting in increased risk for blindness, renal failure, nerve damage, and premature death. Skeletal muscle is a major site for insulin resistance and is responsible for up to 80% of glucose uptake during euglycemic hyperglycemic clamps. Glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is driven by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and for this reason mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in T2D. In this review we integrate mitochondrial function with physiologic function to present a broader understanding of mitochondrial functional status in T2D utilizing studies from both human and rodent models. Quantification of mitochondrial function is explained both in vitro and in vivo highlighting the use of proper controls and the complications imposed by obesity and sedentary lifestyle. This review suggests that skeletal muscle mitochondria are not necessarily dysfunctional but limited oxygen supply to working muscle creates this misperception. Finally, we propose changes in experimental design to address this question unequivocally. If mitochondrial function is not impaired it suggests that therapeutic interventions and drug development must move away from the organelle and toward the cardiovascular system.

Effects of Resveratrol in Goto-Kakizaki Rat, a Model of Type 2 Diabetes

Resveratrol exhibits a pleiotropic, favorable action under various pathological conditions, including type 2 diabetes. However, its anti-diabetic effects in animal models and human trials have not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to determine whether resveratrol is capable of inducing beneficial changes in the Goto-Kakizaki rat, a spontaneous model of diabetes, which in several aspects is similar to type 2 diabetes in humans. Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and control Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were treated intragastrically with resveratrol (20 mg/kg b.w./day) for 10 weeks. Then, a glucose tolerance test was performed and levels of some adipokines in blood were measured. Moreover, lipid contents in skeletal muscle and liver tissues, along with the expression and phosphorylation of pivotal enzymes (AMP—activated protein kinase—AMPK, acetyl-CoA carboxylase—ACC, protein kinase B—Akt) in these tissues were determined. Histology of pancreatic islets was also compared. GK rats non-treated with resveratrol displayed a marked glucose intolerance and had increased lipid accumulation in the skeletal muscle. Moreover, upregulation of the expression and phosphorylation of AMPK, ACC and Akt was shown in the muscle tissue of GK rats. Those rats also had an abnormal structure of pancreatic islets compared with control animals. However, treatment with resveratrol improved glucose tolerance and prevented lipid accumulation in the skeletal muscle of GK rats. This effect was associated with a substantial normalization of expression and phosphorylation of ACC and Akt. In GK rats subjected to resveratrol therapy, the structure of pancreatic islets was also clearly improved. Moreover, blood adiponectin and leptin levels were partially normalized by resveratrol in GK rats. It was revealed that resveratrol ameliorates key symptoms of diabetes in GK rats. This compound improved glucose tolerance, which was largely linked to beneficial changes in skeletal muscle. Resveratrol also positively affected pancreatic islets. Our new findings show that resveratrol has therapeutic potential in GK rats.

Skeletal muscle energetics are compromised only during high-intensity contractions in the Goto-Kakizaki rat model of type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) presents with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, affecting over 30 million people in the United States alone. Previous work has hypothesized that mitochondria are dysfunctional in T2D and results in both reduced ATP production and glucose disposal. However, a direct link between mitochondrial function and T2D has not been determined. In the current study, the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat model of T2D was used to quantify mitochondrial function in vitro and in vivo over a broad range of contraction-induced metabolic workloads. During high-frequency sciatic nerve stimulation, hindlimb muscle contractions at 2- and 4-Hz intensities, the GK rat failed to maintain similar bioenergetic steady states to Wistar control (WC) rats measured by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy, despite similar force production. Differences were not due to changes in mitochondrial content in red (RG) or white gastrocnemius (WG) muscles (cytochrome c oxidase, RG: 22.2 ± 1.6 vs. 23.3 ± 1.7 U/g wet wt; WG: 10.8 ± 1.1 vs. 12.1 ± 0.9 U/g wet wt; GK vs. WC, respectively). Mitochondria isolated from muscles of GK and WC rats also showed no difference in mitochondrial ATP production capacity in vitro, measured by high-resolution respirometry. At lower intensities (0.25-1 Hz) there were no detectable differences between GK and WC rats in sustained energy balance. There were similar phosphocreatine concentrations during steady-state contraction and postcontractile recovery (τ = 72 ± 6 s GK versus 71 ± 2 s WC). Taken together, these results suggest that deficiencies in skeletal muscle energetics seen at higher intensities are not due to mitochondrial dysfunction in the GK rat.

Linking bioenergetic function of mitochondria to tissue-specific molecular fingerprints

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles with diverse functions in tissues such as liver and skeletal muscle. To unravel the mitochondrial contribution to tissue-specific physiology, we performed a systematic comparison of the mitochondrial proteome and lipidome of mice and assessed the consequences hereof for respiration. Liver and skeletal muscle mitochondrial protein composition was studied by data-independent ultra-high-performance (UHP)LC-MS/MS-proteomics, and lipid profiles were compared by UHPLC-MS/MS lipidomics. Mitochondrial function was investigated by high-resolution respirometry in samples from mice and humans. Enzymes of pyruvate oxidation as well as several subunits of complex I, III, and ATP synthase were more abundant in muscle mitochondria. Muscle mitochondria were enriched in cardiolipins associated with higher oxidative phosphorylation capacity and flexibility, in particular CL(18:2)₄ and 22:6-containing cardiolipins. In contrast, protein equipment of liver mitochondria indicated a shuttling of complex I substrates toward gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis and a higher preference for electron transfer via the flavoprotein quinone oxidoreductase pathway. Concordantly, muscle and liver mitochondria showed distinct respiratory substrate preferences. Muscle respired significantly more on the complex I substrates pyruvate and glutamate, whereas in liver maximal respiration was supported by complex II substrate succinate. This was a consistent finding in mouse liver and skeletal muscle mitochondria and human samples. Muscle mitochondria are tailored to produce ATP with a high capacity for complex I-linked substrates. Liver mitochondria are more connected to biosynthetic pathways, preferring fatty acids and succinate for oxidation. The physiologic diversity of mitochondria may help to understand tissue-specific disease pathologies and to develop therapies targeting mitochondrial function.

Investigating the Role of Mitochondria in Type 2 Diabetes - Lessons from Lipidomics and Proteomics Studies of Skeletal Muscle and Liver

Mitochondrial dysfunction is discussed as a key player in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm), a highly prevalent disease rapidly developing as one of the greatest global health challenges of this century. Data however about the involvement of mitochondria, central hubs in bioenergetic processes, in the disease development are still controversial. Lipid and protein homeostasis are under intense discussion to be crucial for proper mitochondrial function. Consequently proteomics and lipidomics analyses might help to understand how molecular changes in mitochondria translate to alterations in energy transduction as observed in the healthy and metabolic diseases such as T2Dm and other related disorders. Mitochondrial lipids integrated in a tool covering proteomic and functional analyses were up to now rarely investigated, although mitochondrial lipids might provide a possible lynchpin in the understanding of type 2 diabetes development and thereby prevention. In this chapter state-of-the-art analytical strategies, pre-analytical aspects, potential pitfalls as well as current proteomics and lipidomics-based knowledge about the pathophysiological role of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes will be discussed.

Skeletal muscle performance in metabolic disease: Microvascular or mitochondrial limitation or both?

One of the clearly established health outcomes associated with chronic metabolic diseases (eg, type II diabetes mellitus) is that the ability of skeletal muscle to maintain contractile performance during periods of elevated metabolic demand is compromised as compared to the fatigue-resistance of muscle under normal, healthy conditions. While there has been extensive effort dedicated to determining the major factors that contribute to the compromised performance of skeletal muscle with chronic metabolic disease, the extent to which this poor outcome reflects a dysfunctional state of the microcirculation, where the delivery and distribution of metabolic substrates can be impaired, versus derangements to normal metabolic processes and mitochondrial function, versus a combination of the two, represents an area of considerable unknown. The purpose of this manuscript is to present some of the current concepts for dysfunction to both the microcirculation of skeletal muscle as well as to mitochondrial metabolism under these conditions, such that these diverse issues can be merged into an integrated framework for future investigation. Based on an interpretation of the current literature, it may be hypothesized that the primary site of dysfunction with earlier stages of metabolic disease may lie at the level of the vasculature, rather than at the level of the mitochondria.

The loss of hemoglobin and myoglobin does not minimize oxidative stress in Antarctic icefishes

The unusual pattern of expression of hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb) among Antarctic notothenioid fishes provides an exceptional model system for assessing the impact of these proteins on oxidative stress. We tested the hypothesis that the lack of oxygen-binding proteins may reduce oxidative stress. Levels and activity of pro-oxidants and small-molecule and enzymatic antioxidants, and levels of oxidized lipids and proteins in the liver, oxidative skeletal muscle and heart ventricle were quantified in five species of notothenioid fishes differing in the expression of Hb and Mb. Levels of ubiquitinated proteins and rates of protein degradation by the 20S proteasome were also quantified. Although levels of oxidized proteins and lipids, ubiquitinated proteins, and antioxidants were higher in red-blooded fishes than in Hb-less icefishes in some tissues, this pattern did not persist across all tissues. Expression of Mb was not associated with oxidative damage in the heart ventricle, whereas the activity of citrate synthase and the contents of heme were positively correlated with oxidative damage in most tissues. Despite some tissue differences in levels of protein carbonyls among species, rates of degradation by the 20S proteasome were not markedly different, suggesting either alternative pathways for eliminating oxidized proteins or that redox tone varies among species. Together, our data indicate that the loss of Hb and Mb does not correspond with a clear pattern of either reduced oxidative defense or oxidative damage.

Isolation and Analysis of Mitochondrial Small RNAs from Rat Liver Tissue and HepG2 Cells

The presence of noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), in mitochondria has been reported by several studies. The biological roles and functions of these mitochondrial miRNAs ("mitomiRs") have not been sufficiently characterized, but the mitochondrial localization of miRNAs has recently gained significance due to modified mitomiR-populations in certain states of diseases. Here, we describe the isolation and analysis of mitochondrial RNAs from rat liver tissue and HepG2 cells. The principle of the analysis is to prepare mitochondria by differential centrifugation. Cytosolic RNA contamination is eliminated by RNase A treatment followed by Percoll gradient purification and RNA extraction. Small RNA content is verified by capillary electrophoresis. Mitochondrial miRNAs are detected by qPCR following synthesis of cDNA. After qPCR-based mitomiR-profiling, the Normfinder algorithm is applied to identify the suitable reference miRNAs to use as normalizers for mitochondrial input and data analysis. The described procedure depicts a simple way of isolating and quantifying mitomiRs in tissue and cell culture samples.

Your mitochondria are what you eat: a high-fat or a high-sucrose diet eliminates metabolic flexibility in isolated mitochondria from rat skeletal muscle

Extreme diets consisting of either high fat (HF) or high sucrose (HS) may lead to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, often associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. However, it is not known if these diets alter normal interactions of pyruvate and fatty acid oxidation at the level of the mitochondria. Here, we report that rat muscle mitochondria does show the normal Randle‐type fat‐carbohydrate interaction seen in vivo. The mechanism behind this metabolic flexibility at the level of the isolated mitochondria is a regulation of the flux‐ratio: pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)/β‐oxidation to suit the actual substrate availability, with the PDH flux as the major point of regulation. We further report that this regulatory mechanism of carbohydrate‐fat metabolic interaction surprisingly is lost in mitochondria obtained from animals exposed for 12 weeks to a HF‐ or a HS diet as compared to rats given a normal chow diet. The mechanism seems to be a loss of the PDH flux decrease seen in controls, when fatty acid is supplied as substrate in addition to pyruvate, and vice versa for the supply of pyruvate as substrate to mitochondria oxidizing fatty acid. Finally, we report that the calculated TCA flux in the isolated mitochondria under these circumstances shows a significant reduction (~50%) after the HF diet and an even larger reduction (~75%) after the HS diet, compared with the chow group. Thus, it appears that obesogenic diets as those applied here have major influence on key metabolic performance of skeletal muscle mitochondria.

Defects in skeletal muscle subsarcolemmal mitochondria in a non-obese model of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Skeletal muscle resistance to insulin is related to accumulation of lipid-derived products, but it is not clear whether this accumulation is caused by skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction. Diabetes and obesity are reported to have a selective effect on the function of subsarcolemmal and interfibrillar mitochondria in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. The current study investigated the role of the subpopulations of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the absence of obesity. A non-obese spontaneous rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus, (Goto-Kakizaki), was used to evaluate function and biochemical properties in both populations of skeletal muscle mitochondria. In subsarcolemmal mitochondria, minor defects are observed whereas in interfibrillar mitochondria function is preserved. Subsarcolemmal mitochondria defects characterized by a mild decline of oxidative phosphorylation efficiency are related to ATP synthase and structural alterations of inner mitochondria membrane but are considered unimportant because of the absence of defects upstream as shown with polarographic and spectrophometric assays. Fatty acid transport and oxidation is preserved in both population of mitochondria, whereas palmitoyl-CoA increased 25% in interfibrillar mitochondria of diabetic rats. Contrary to popular belief, these data provide compelling evidence that mitochondrial function is unaffected in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle from T2DM non-obese rats.

Hepatic and skeletal muscle mitochondrial toxicity of chitosan oligosaccharides of normal and diabetic rats

Diabetes and associated conditions are now considered a worldwide epidemic, with increasing costs and burdens with no cure yet developed. The chitin-derived glucosamine biopolymer chitosan has shown promising results when supplied to diabetic patients. However, no study has investigated the possible toxic side effects of chitosan treatments, in particular when regarding the most important bioenergetic organelle, mitochondria. As such, we aimed to understand if supplementation of chitosan to the diet of normal and diabetic rats could compromise mitochondrial function on two of the major organs involved in diabetes, obesity, and metabolic regulation, the liver and skeletal muscle. We supplemented the drinking water of normal Wistar and diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats with 0.5% chitosan for 6 weeks. We show here that, in terms of hepatic bioenergetics, chitosan was relatively inert and had no major side effects. However, regarding skeletal muscle bioenergetics, chitosan significantly affected various bioenergetic parameters. As such, we conclude that chitosan, at the tested doses, is relatively safe for treatment of diabetic situations. Nonetheless, the potential for adverse toxicological side effects appears to be present, which might be relevant if higher doses are utilized.

Probing cytochrome c in living mitochondria with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Selective study of the electron transport chain components in living mitochondria is essential for fundamental biophysical research and for the development of new medical diagnostic methods. However, many important details of inter- and intramembrane mitochondrial processes have remained in shadow due to the lack of non-invasive techniques. Here we suggest a novel label-free approach based on the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to monitor the redox state and conformation of cytochrome c in the electron transport chain in living mitochondria. We demonstrate that SERS spectra of living mitochondria placed on hierarchically structured silver-ring substrates provide exclusive information about cytochrome c behavior under modulation of inner mitochondrial membrane potential, proton gradient and the activity of ATP-synthetase. Mathematical simulation explains the observed enhancement of Raman scattering due to high concentration of electric near-field and large contact area between mitochondria and nanostructured surfaces.

Insulin Resistance Is Not Associated with an Impaired Mitochondrial Function in Contracting Gastrocnemius Muscle of Goto-Kakizaki Diabetic Rats In Vivo

Insulin resistance, altered lipid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle would play a major role in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development, but the causal relationships between these events remain conflicting. To clarify this issue, gastrocnemius muscle function and energetics were investigated throughout a multidisciplinary approach combining in vivo and in vitro measurements in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a non-obese T2DM model developing peripheral insulin resistant without abnormal level of plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Wistar rats were used as controls. Mechanical performance and energy metabolism were assessed strictly non-invasively using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and 31-phosphorus MR spectroscopy (31P-MRS). Compared with control group, plasma insulin and glucose were respectively lower and higher in GK rats, but plasma NEFA level was normal. In resting GK muscle, phosphocreatine content was reduced whereas glucose content and intracellular pH were both higher. However, there were not differences between both groups for basal oxidative ATP synthesis rate, citrate synthase activity, and intramyocellular contents for lipids, glycogen, ATP and ADP (an important in vivo mitochondrial regulator). During a standardized fatiguing protocol (6 min of maximal repeated isometric contractions electrically induced at a frequency of 1.7 Hz), mechanical performance and glycolytic ATP production rate were reduced in diabetic animals whereas oxidative ATP production rate, maximal mitochondrial capacity and ATP cost of contraction were not changed. These findings provide in vivo evidence that insulin resistance is not caused by an impairment of mitochondrial function in this diabetic model.

One-year high fat diet affects muscle-but not brain mitochondria

It is well known that few weeks of high fat (HF) diet may induce metabolic disturbances and mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. However, little is known about the effects of long-term HF exposure and effects on brain mitochondria are unknown. Wistar rats were fed either chow (13E% fat) or HF diet (60E% fat) for 1 year. The HF animals developed obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and dysfunction of isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria: state 3 and state 4 were 30% to 50% increased (P<0.058) with palmitoyl carnitine (PC), while there was no effect with pyruvate as substrate. Adding also succinate in state 3 resulted in a higher substrate control ratio (SCR) with PC, but a lower SCR with pyruvate (P<0.05). The P/O2 ratio was lower with PC (P<0.004). However, similar tests on isolated brain mitochondria from the same animal showed no changes with the substrates relevant for brain (pyruvate and 3-hydroxybutyrate). Thus, long-term HF diet was associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and significantly altered mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Yet, brain mitochondria were unaffected. We suggest that the relative isolation of the brain due to the blood-brain barrier may play a role in this strikingly different phenotype of mitochondria from the two tissues of the same animal.

Genetic control of differential acetylation in diabetic rats

Post-translational protein modifications such as acetylation have significant regulatory roles in metabolic processes, but their relationship to both variation in gene expression and DNA sequence is unclear. We address this question in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat inbred strain, a model of polygenic type 2 diabetes. Expression of the NAD-dependent deacetylase Sirtuin-3 is down-regulated in GK rats compared to normoglycemic Brown Norway (BN) rats. We show first that a promoter SNP causes down-regulation of Sirtuin-3 expression in GK rats. We then use mass-spectrometry to identify proteome-wide differential lysine acetylation of putative Sirtuin-3 protein targets in livers of GK and BN rats. These include many proteins in pathways connected to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. We finally sequence GK and BN liver transcriptomes and find that mRNA expression of these targets does not differ significantly between GK and BN rats, in contrast to other components of the same pathways. We conclude that physiological differences between GK and BN rats are mediated by a combination of differential protein acetylation and gene transcription and that genetic variation can modulate acetylation independently of expression.

Association of Rev-erbα in adipose tissues with Type 2 diabetes mellitus amelioration after gastric bypass surgery in Goto-Kakizaki rats

We estimated the key molecules related to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adipose, liver, and muscle tissues, from nonobese diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and their Wistar controls, by computationally analyzing the expression profiles in open source data. With the aid of information from previous reports, Rev-erbα in adipose tissue emerged as one of the most plausible candidates. Here, in animal models, including GK rats surgically treated to ameliorate T2DM, we examined the association of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue with T2DM progression. After analyses of the Rev-erbα mRNA expression in the adipose tissue of our animal models, we compared the Rev-erbα protein expression levels in the adipose, liver, and muscle tissues of GK and Wistar controls at the ages of 1 mo (M), 3M, and 6M. The Rev-erbα protein levels in adipose tissue showed a distinctive pattern, with the negative correlation of an increasing trend in GK rats, and a decreasing trend in Wistar rats during aging, from those in liver and muscle tissues. Moreover, dysregulation of the circadian Rev-erbα expression in the adipose tissue of 6-mo-old GK rats was also observed. In particular, we ameliorated T2DM in GK rats by gastric bypass surgery, and revealed that T2DM amelioration in diabetic GK rats was associated with improved circadian Rev-erbα expression, in a comparison between the surgically treated and untreated GK rats. The roles of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue were further investigated by observations of Rev-erbα-related molecules, with reference to previous reports.