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Hawes EM, Rahim M, Haratipour Z, Orun AR, O'Rourke ML, Oeser JK, Kim K, Claxton DP, Blind RD, Young JD, O'Brien RM. Biochemical and metabolic characterization of a G6PC2 inhibitor. Biochimie 2024; 222:109-122. [PMID: 38431189 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Three glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunits, that hydrolyze glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) to glucose and inorganic phosphate, have been identified, designated G6PC1-3, but only G6PC1 and G6PC2 have been implicated in the regulation of fasting blood glucose (FBG). Elevated FBG has been associated with multiple adverse clinical outcomes, including increased risk for type 2 diabetes and various cancers. Therefore, G6PC1 and G6PC2 inhibitors that lower FBG may be of prophylactic value for the prevention of multiple conditions. The studies described here characterize a G6PC2 inhibitor, designated VU0945627, previously identified as Compound 3. We show that VU0945627 preferentially inhibits human G6PC2 versus human G6PC1 but activates human G6PC3. VU0945627 is a mixed G6PC2 inhibitor, increasing the Km but reducing the Vmax for G6P hydrolysis. PyRx virtual docking to an AlphaFold2-derived G6PC2 structural model suggests VU0945627 binds two sites in human G6PC2. Mutation of residues in these sites reduces the inhibitory effect of VU0945627. VU0945627 does not inhibit mouse G6PC2 despite its 84% sequence identity with human G6PC2. Mutagenesis studies suggest this lack of inhibition of mouse G6PC2 is due, in part, to a change in residue 318 from histidine in human G6PC2 to proline in mouse G6PC2. Surprisingly, VU0945627 still inhibited glucose cycling in the mouse islet-derived βTC-3 cell line. Studies using intact mouse liver microsomes and PyRx docking suggest that this observation can be explained by an ability of VU0945627 to also inhibit the G6P transporter SLC37A4. These data will inform future computational modeling studies designed to identify G6PC isoform-specific inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Hawes
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Mohsin Rahim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Zeinab Haratipour
- Austin Peay State University, 601 College St, Clarksville, TN 37044, USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Abigail R Orun
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Margaret L O'Rourke
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - James K Oeser
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Kwangho Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Derek P Claxton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Ray D Blind
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Jamey D Young
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Richard M O'Brien
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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Kang S, Bae MJ, Kang MK, Kim H, Kang YR, Jo WS, Lee CG, Jung B, Lee J, Moon C, Son Y, Lee HJ, Kim JS. Possible association of G6PC2 and MUC6 induced by low‑dose‑rate irradiation in mouse intestine with inflammatory bowel disease. Mol Med Rep 2024; 30:127. [PMID: 38785154 PMCID: PMC11134309 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2024.13251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Although there are several types of radiation exposure, it is debated whether low‑dose‑rate (LDR) irradiation (IR) affects the body. Since the small intestine is a radiation‑sensitive organ, the present study aimed to evaluate how it changes when exposed to LDR IR and identify the genes sensitive to these doses. After undergoing LDR (6.0 mGy/h) γ radiation exposure, intestinal RNA from BALB/c mice was extracted 1 and 24 h later. Mouse whole genome microarrays were used to explore radiation‑induced transcriptional alterations. Reverse transcription‑quantitative (RT‑q) PCR was used to examine time‑ and dose‑dependent radiation responses. The histopathological status of the jejunum in the radiated mouse was not changed by 10 mGy of LDR IR; however, 23 genes were upregulated in response to LDR IR of the jejunum in mice after 1 and 24 h of exposure. Upregulated genes were selected to validate the results of the RNA sequencing analysis for RT‑qPCR detection and results showed that only Na+/K+ transporting subunit α4, glucose‑6‑phosphatase catalytic subunit 2 (G6PC2), mucin 6 (MUC6) and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 6 levels significantly increased after 24 h of LDR IR. Furthermore, G6PC2 and MUC6 were notable genes induced by LDR IR exposure according to protein expression via western blot analysis. The mRNA levels of G6PC2 and MUC6 were significantly elevated within 24 h under three conditions: i) Exposure to LDR IR, ii) repeated exposure to LDR IR and iii) exposure to LDR IR in the presence of inflammatory bowel disease. These results could contribute to an improved understanding of immediate radiation reactions and biomarker development to identify radiation‑susceptible individuals before histopathological changes become noticeable. However, further investigation into the specific mechanisms involving G6PC2 and MUC6 is required to accomplish this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohi Kang
- College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 FOUR Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
- Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Science, College of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Gyeongsangnam-do 52727, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Ji Bae
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Kook Kang
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyojin Kim
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeong-Rok Kang
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Wol Soon Jo
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Geun Lee
- Research Center, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busan 46033, Republic of Korea
| | - Bokyung Jung
- College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 FOUR Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongmin Lee
- College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 FOUR Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Changjong Moon
- College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 FOUR Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonghoon Son
- Division of Radiation Biomedical Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (KIRAMS), Seoul 01812, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-June Lee
- Division of Radiation Biomedical Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (KIRAMS), Seoul 01812, Republic of Korea
| | - Joong Sun Kim
- College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 FOUR Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
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Hawes E, Claxton D, Oeser J, O’Brien R. Identification of structural motifs critical for human G6PC2 function informed by sequence analysis and an AlphaFold2-predicted model. Biosci Rep 2024; 44:BSR20231851. [PMID: 38095063 PMCID: PMC10776900 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20231851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
G6PC2 encodes a glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) catalytic subunit, primarily expressed in pancreatic islet β cells, which modulates the sensitivity of insulin secretion to glucose and thereby regulates fasting blood glucose (FBG). Mutational analyses were conducted to validate an AlphaFold2 (AF2)-predicted structure of human G6PC2 in conjunction with a novel method to solubilize and purify human G6PC2 from a heterologous expression system. These analyses show that residues forming a predicted intramolecular disulfide bond are essential for G6PC2 expression and that residues forming part of a type 2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP2) motif are critical for enzyme activity. Additional mutagenesis shows that residues forming a predicted substrate cavity modulate enzyme activity and substrate specificity and residues forming a putative cholesterol recognition amino acid consensus (CRAC) motif influence protein expression or enzyme activity. This CRAC motif begins at residue 219, the site of a common G6PC2 non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs492594 (Val219Leu), though the functional impact of this SNP is disputed. In microsomal membrane preparations, the L219 variant has greater activity than the V219 variant, but this difference disappears when G6PC2 is purified in detergent micelles. We hypothesize that this was due to a differential association of the two variants with cholesterol. This concept was supported by the observation that the addition of cholesteryl hemi-succinate to the purified enzymes decreased the Vmax of the V219 and L219 variants ∼8-fold and ∼3 fold, respectively. We anticipate that these observations should support the rational development of G6PC2 inhibitors designed to lower FBG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Hawes
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, U.S.A
| | - Derek P. Claxton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, U.S.A
| | - James K. Oeser
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, U.S.A
| | - Richard M. O’Brien
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, U.S.A
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Overway EM, Bosma KJ, Claxton DP, Oeser JK, Singh K, Breidenbach LB, Mchaourab HS, Davis LK, O'Brien RM. Nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the G6PC2 gene affect protein expression, enzyme activity, and fasting blood glucose. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101534. [PMID: 34954144 PMCID: PMC8800118 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
G6PC2 encodes a glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) catalytic subunit that modulates the sensitivity of insulin secretion to glucose and thereby regulates fasting blood glucose (FBG). A common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in G6PC2, rs560887 is an important determinant of human FBG variability. This SNP has a subtle effect on G6PC2 RNA splicing, which raises the question as to whether nonsynonymous SNPs with a major impact on G6PC2 stability or enzyme activity might have a broader disease/metabolic impact. Previous attempts to characterize such SNPs were limited by the very low inherent G6Pase activity and expression of G6PC2 protein in islet-derived cell lines. In this study, we describe the use of a plasmid vector that confers high G6PC2 protein expression in islet cells, allowing for a functional analysis of 22 nonsynonymous G6PC2 SNPs, 19 of which alter amino acids that are conserved in mouse G6PC2 and the human and mouse variants of the related G6PC1 isoform. We show that 16 of these SNPs markedly impair G6PC2 protein expression (>50% decrease). These SNPs have variable effects on the stability of human and mouse G6PC1, despite the high sequence homology between these isoforms. Four of the remaining six SNPs impaired G6PC2 enzyme activity. Electronic health record-derived phenotype analyses showed an association between high-impact SNPs and FBG, but not other diseases/metabolites. While homozygous G6pc2 deletion in mice increases the risk of hypoglycemia, these human data reveal no evidence that the beneficial use of partial G6PC2 inhibitors to lower FBG would be associated with unintended negative consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Overway
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Karin J Bosma
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Derek P Claxton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - James K Oeser
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Kritika Singh
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lindsay B Breidenbach
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lea K Davis
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Richard M O'Brien
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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Bosma KJ, Rahim M, Oeser JK, McGuinness OP, Young JD, O'Brien RM. G6PC2 confers protection against hypoglycemia upon ketogenic diet feeding and prolonged fasting. Mol Metab 2020; 41:101043. [PMID: 32569842 PMCID: PMC7369601 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective G6PC2 is predominantly expressed in pancreatic islet beta cells. G6PC2 hydrolyzes glucose-6-phosphate to glucose and inorganic phosphate, thereby creating a futile substrate cycle that opposes the action of glucokinase. This substrate cycle determines the sensitivity of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion to glucose and hence regulates fasting blood glucose (FBG) but not fasting plasma insulin (FPI) levels. Our objective was to explore the physiological benefit this cycle confers. Methods We investigated the response of wild type (WT) and G6pc2 knockout (KO) mice to changes in nutrition. Results Pancreatic G6pc2 expression was little changed by ketogenic diet feeding but was inhibited by 24 hr fasting and strongly induced by high fat feeding. When challenged with either a ketogenic diet or 24 hr fasting, blood glucose fell to 70 mg/dl or less in G6pc2 KO but not WT mice, suggesting that G6PC2 may have evolved, in part, to prevent hypoglycemia. Prolonged ketogenic diet feeding reduced the effect of G6pc2 deletion on FBG. The hyperglycemia associated with high fat feeding was partially blunted in G6pc2 KO mice, suggesting that under these conditions the presence of G6PC2 is detrimental. As expected, FPI changed but did not differ between WT and KO mice in response to fasting, ketogenic and high fat feeding. Conclusions Since elevated FBG levels are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular-associated mortality (CAM), these studies suggest that, while G6PC2 inhibitors would be useful for lowering FBG and the risk of CAM, partial inhibition will be important to avoid the risk of hypoglycemia. G6pc2 deletion lowers fasting blood glucose (FBG) in chow and high fat fed mice. Elevated FBG increases the risk of cardiovascular-associated mortality (CAM). G6pc2 deletion results in hypoglycemia in mice on a ketogenic diet. G6pc2 deletion results in hypoglycemia in mice following prolonged fasting. G6PC2 inhibitors may prevent CAM but increase risk of hypoglycemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin J Bosma
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mohsin Rahim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - James K Oeser
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Owen P McGuinness
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jamey D Young
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Richard M O'Brien
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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