Adjudin improves beta cell maturation, hepatic glucose uptake and glucose homeostasis

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Recovering functional beta cell mass is a promising approach for future diabetes therapies. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of adjudin, a small molecule identified in a beta cell screen using zebrafish, on pancreatic beta cells and diabetes conditions in mice and human spheroids.

METHODS

In zebrafish, insulin expression was examined by bioluminescence and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), glucose levels were examined by direct measurements and distribution using a fluorescent glucose analogue, and calcium activity in beta cells was analysed by in vivo live imaging. Pancreatic islets of wild-type postnatal day 0 (P0) and 3-month-old (adult) mice, as well as adult db/db mice (i.e. BKS(D)-Leprdb/JOrlRj), were cultured in vitro and analysed by qPCR, glucose stimulated insulin secretion and whole mount staining. RNA-seq was performed for islets of P0 and db/db mice. For in vivo assessment, db/db mice were treated with adjudin and subjected to analysis of metabolic variables and islet cells. Glucose consumption was examined in primary human hepatocyte spheroids.

RESULTS

Adjudin treatment increased insulin expression and calcium response to glucose in beta cells and decreased glucose levels after beta cell ablation in zebrafish. Adjudin led to improved beta cell function, decreased beta cell proliferation and glucose responsive insulin secretion by decreasing basal insulin secretion in in vitro cultured newborn mouse islets. RNA-seq of P0 islets indicated that adjudin treatment resulted in increased glucose metabolism and mitochondrial function, as well as downstream signalling pathways involved in insulin secretion. In islets from db/db mice cultured in vitro, adjudin treatment strengthened beta cell identity and insulin secretion. RNA-seq of db/db islets indicated adjudin-upregulated genes associated with insulin secretion, membrane ion channel activity and exocytosis. Moreover, adjudin promoted glucose uptake in the liver of zebrafish in an insulin-independent manner, and similarly promoted glucose consumption in primary human hepatocyte spheroids with insulin resistance. In vivo studies using db/db mice revealed reduced nonfasting blood glucose, improved glucose tolerance and strengthened beta cell identity after adjudin treatment.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Adjudin promoted functional maturation of immature islets, improved function of dysfunctional islets, stimulated glucose uptake in liver and improved glucose homeostasis in db/db mice. Thus, the multifunctional drug adjudin, previously studied in various contexts and conditions, also shows promise in the management of diabetic states.

DATA AVAILABILITY

Raw and processed RNA-seq data for this study have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus under accession number GSE235398 ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE235398 ).

In vivo drug discovery for increasing incretin-expressing cells identifies DYRK inhibitors that reinforce the enteroendocrine system

Analogs of the incretin hormones Gip and Glp-1 are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Findings in experimental models suggest that manipulating several hormones simultaneously may be more effective. To identify small molecules that increase the number of incretin-expressing cells, we established a high-throughput in vivo chemical screen by using the gip promoter to drive the expression of luciferase in zebrafish. All hits increased the numbers of neurogenin 3-expressing enteroendocrine progenitors, Gip-expressing K-cells, and Glp-1-expressing L-cells. One of the hits, a dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase (DYRK) inhibitor, additionally decreased glucose levels in both larval and juvenile fish. Knock-down experiments indicated that nfatc4, a downstream mediator of DYRKs, regulates incretin+ cell number in zebrafish, and that Dyrk1b regulates Glp-1 expression in an enteroendocrine cell line. DYRK inhibition also increased the number of incretin-expressing cells in diabetic mice, suggesting a conserved reinforcement of the enteroendocrine system, with possible implications for diabetes.

In vivo screen identifies a SIK inhibitor that induces β cell proliferation through a transient UPR

It is known that β cell proliferation expands the β cell mass during development and under certain hyperglycemic conditions in the adult, a process that may be used for β cell regeneration in diabetes. Here, through a new high-throughput screen using a luminescence ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (LUCCI) in zebrafish, we identify HG-9-91-01 as a driver of proliferation and confirm this effect in mouse and human β cells. HG-9-91-01 is an inhibitor of salt-inducible kinases (SIKs), and overexpression of Sik1 specifically in β cells blocks the effect of HG-9-91-01 on β cell proliferation. Single-cell transcriptomic analyses of mouse β cells demonstrate that HG-9-91-01 induces a wave of activating transcription factor (ATF)6-dependent unfolded protein response (UPR) before cell cycle entry. Importantly, the UPR wave is not associated with an increase in insulin expression. Additional mechanistic studies indicate that HG-9-91-01 induces multiple signalling effectors downstream of SIK inhibition, including CRTC1, CRTC2, ATF6, IRE1 and mTOR, which integrate to collectively drive β cell proliferation.

IGFBP1 increases β-cell regeneration by promoting α- to β-cell transdifferentiation

There is great interest in therapeutically harnessing endogenous regenerative mechanisms to increase the number of β cells in people with diabetes. By performing whole‐genome expression profiling of zebrafish islets, we identified 11 secreted proteins that are upregulated during β‐cell regeneration. We then tested the proteins' ability to potentiate β‐cell regeneration in zebrafish at supraphysiological levels. One protein, insulin‐like growth factor (Igf) binding‐protein 1 (Igfbp1), potently promoted β‐cell regeneration by potentiating α‐ to β‐cell transdifferentiation. Using various inhibitors and activators of the Igf pathway, we show that Igfbp1 exerts its regenerative effect, at least partly, by inhibiting Igf signaling. Igfbp1's effect on transdifferentiation appears conserved across species: Treating mouse and human islets with recombinant IGFBP1 in vitro increased the number of cells co‐expressing insulin and glucagon threefold. Moreover, a prospective human study showed that having high IGFBP1 levels reduces the risk of developing type‐2 diabetes by more than 85%. Thus, we identify IGFBP1 as an endogenous promoter of β‐cell regeneration and highlight its clinical importance in diabetes.

High throughput screening for inhibitors of REST in neural derivatives of human embryonic stem cells reveals a chemical compound that promotes expression of neuronal genes

Decreased expression of neuronal genes such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with several neurological disorders. One molecular mechanism associated with Huntington disease (HD) is a discrete increase in the nuclear activity of the transcriptional repressor REST/NRSF binding to repressor element-1 (RE1) sequences. High-throughput screening of a library of 6,984 compounds with luciferase-assay measuring REST activity in neural derivatives of human embryonic stem cells led to identify two benzoimidazole-5-carboxamide derivatives that inhibited REST silencing in a RE1-dependent manner. The most potent compound, X5050, targeted REST degradation, but neither REST expression, RNA splicing nor binding to RE1 sequence. Differential transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of neuronal genes targeted by REST in wild-type neural cells treated with X5050. This activity was confirmed in neural cells produced from human induced pluripotent stem cells derived from a HD patient. Acute intraventricular delivery of X5050 increased the expressions of BDNF and several other REST-regulated genes in the prefrontal cortex of mice with quinolinate-induced striatal lesions. This study demonstrates that the use of pluripotent stem cell derivatives can represent a crucial step toward the identification of pharmacological compounds with therapeutic potential in neurological affections involving decreased expression of neuronal genes associated to increased REST activity, such as Huntington disease.