β Cell-specific deletion of Zfp148 improves nutrient-stimulated β cell Ca2+ responses

Insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells is essential for glucose homeostasis. An insufficient response to the demand for insulin results in diabetes. We previously showed that β cell-specific deletion of Zfp148 (β-Zfp148KO) improves glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in mice. Here, we performed Ca2+ imaging of islets from β‑Zfp148KO and control mice fed both a chow and a Western-style diet. β-Zfp148KO islets demonstrated improved sensitivity and sustained Ca2+ oscillations in response to elevated glucose levels. β-Zfp148KO islets also exhibited elevated sensitivity to amino acid-induced Ca2+ influx under low glucose conditions, suggesting enhanced mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent (PEP-dependent), ATP-sensitive K+ channel closure, independent of glycolysis. RNA-Seq and proteomics of β-Zfp148KO islets revealed altered levels of enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism (specifically, SLC3A2, SLC7A8, GLS, GLS2, PSPH, PHGDH, and PSAT1) and intermediary metabolism (namely, GOT1 and PCK2), consistent with altered PEP cycling. In agreement with this, β-Zfp148KO islets displayed enhanced insulin secretion in response to l-glutamine and activation of glutamate dehydrogenase. Understanding pathways controlled by ZFP148 may provide promising strategies for improving β cell function that are robust to the metabolic challenge imposed by a Western diet.

β-cell deletion of the PKm1 and PKm2 isoforms of pyruvate kinase in mice reveals their essential role as nutrient sensors for the KATP channel

Pyruvate kinase (PK) and the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) cycle play key roles in nutrient-stimulated K_ATP channel closure and insulin secretion. To identify the PK isoforms involved, we generated mice lacking β-cell PKm1, PKm2, and mitochondrial PEP carboxykinase (PCK2) that generates mitochondrial PEP. Glucose metabolism was found to generate both glycolytic and mitochondrially derived PEP, which triggers K_ATP closure through local PKm1 and PKm2 signaling at the plasma membrane. Amino acids, which generate mitochondrial PEP without producing glycolytic fructose 1,6-bisphosphate to allosterically activate PKm2, signal through PKm1 to raise ATP/ADP, close K_ATP channels, and stimulate insulin secretion. Raising cytosolic ATP/ADP with amino acids is insufficient to close K_ATP channels in the absence of PK activity or PCK2, indicating that K_ATP channels are primarily regulated by PEP that provides ATP via plasma membrane-associated PK, rather than mitochondrially derived ATP. Following membrane depolarization, the PEP cycle is involved in an 'off-switch' that facilitates K_ATP channel reopening and Ca²⁺ extrusion, as shown by PK activation experiments and β-cell PCK2 deletion, which prolongs Ca²⁺ oscillations and increases insulin secretion. In conclusion, the differential response of PKm1 and PKm2 to the glycolytic and mitochondrial sources of PEP influences the β-cell nutrient response, and controls the oscillatory cycle regulating insulin secretion.

β-Cell Knockout of SENP1 Reduces Responses to Incretins and Worsens Oral Glucose Tolerance in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

SUMOylation reduces oxidative stress and preserves islet mass at the expense of robust insulin secretion. To investigate a role for the deSUMOylating enzyme sentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1) following metabolic stress, we put pancreas/gut-specific SENP1 knockout (pSENP1-KO) mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). Male pSENP1-KO mice were more glucose intolerant following HFD than littermate controls but only in response to oral glucose. A similar phenotype was observed in females. Plasma glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) responses were identical in pSENP1-KO and wild-type littermates, including the HFD-induced upregulation of GIP responses. Islet mass was not different, but insulin secretion and β-cell exocytotic responses to the GLP-1 receptor agonist exendin-4 (Ex4) and GIP were impaired in islets lacking SENP1. Glucagon secretion from pSENP1-KO islets was also reduced, so we generated β-cell-specific SENP1 KO mice. These phenocopied the pSENP1-KO mice with selective impairment in oral glucose tolerance following HFD, preserved islet mass expansion, and impaired β-cell exocytosis and insulin secretion to Ex4 and GIP without changes in cAMP or Ca²⁺ levels. Thus, β-cell SENP1 limits oral glucose intolerance following HFD by ensuring robust insulin secretion at a point downstream of incretin signaling.

Pyruvate Kinase Controls Signal Strength in the Insulin Secretory Pathway

Pancreatic β cells couple nutrient metabolism with appropriate insulin secretion. Here, we show that pyruvate kinase (PK), which converts ADP and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) into ATP and pyruvate, underlies β cell sensing of both glycolytic and mitochondrial fuels. Plasma membrane-localized PK is sufficient to close K_ATP channels and initiate calcium influx. Small-molecule PK activators increase the frequency of ATP/ADP and calcium oscillations and potently amplify insulin secretion. PK restricts respiration by cyclically depriving mitochondria of ADP, which accelerates PEP cycling until membrane depolarization restores ADP and oxidative phosphorylation. Our findings support a compartmentalized model of β cell metabolism in which PK locally generates the ATP/ADP required for insulin secretion. Oscillatory PK activity allows mitochondria to perform synthetic and oxidative functions without any net impact on glucose oxidation. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic route for diabetes based on PK activation that would not be predicted by the current consensus single-state model of β cell function.

Multi-Tissue Acceleration of the Mitochondrial Phosphoenolpyruvate Cycle Improves Whole-Body Metabolic Health

The mitochondrial GTP (mtGTP)-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) cycle couples mitochondrial PEPCK (PCK2) to pyruvate kinase (PK) in the liver and pancreatic islets to regulate glucose homeostasis. Here, small molecule PK activators accelerated the PEP cycle to improve islet function, as well as metabolic homeostasis, in preclinical rodent models of diabetes. In contrast, treatment with a PK activator did not improve insulin secretion in pck2^-/- mice. Unlike other clinical secretagogues, PK activation enhanced insulin secretion but also had higher insulin content and markers of differentiation. In addition to improving insulin secretion, acute PK activation short-circuited gluconeogenesis to reduce endogenous glucose production while accelerating red blood cell glucose turnover. Four-week delivery of a PK activator in vivo remodeled PK phosphorylation, reduced liver fat, and improved hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in HFD-fed rats. These data provide a preclinical rationale for PK activation to accelerate the PEP cycle to improve metabolic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity.

Obesity-dependent CDK1 signaling stimulates mitochondrial respiration at complex I in pancreatic β-cells

β-Cell mitochondria play a central role in coupling glucose metabolism with insulin secretion. Here, we identified a metabolic function of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1)/cyclin B1-the activation of mitochondrial respiratory complex I-that is active in quiescent adult β-cells and hyperactive in β-cells from obese (ob/ob) mice. In WT islets, respirometry revealed that 65% of complex I flux and 49% of state 3 respiration is sensitive to CDK1 inhibition. Islets from ob/ob mice expressed more cyclin B1 and exhibited a higher sensitivity to CDK1 blockade, which reduced complex I flux by 76% and state 3 respiration by 79%. The ensuing reduction in mitochondrial NADH utilization, measured with two-photon NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), was matched in the cytosol by a lag in citrate cycling, as shown with a FRET reporter targeted to β-cells. Moreover, time-resolved measurements revealed that in ob/ob islets, where complex I flux dominates respiration, CDK1 inhibition is sufficient to restrict the duty cycle of ATP/ADP and calcium oscillations, the parameter that dynamically encodes β-cell glucose sensing. Direct complex I inhibition with rotenone mimicked the restrictive effects of CDK1 inhibition on mitochondrial respiration, NADH turnover, ATP/ADP, and calcium influx. These findings identify complex I as a critical mediator of obesity-associated metabolic remodeling in β-cells and implicate CDK1 as a regulator of complex I that enhances β-cell glucose sensing.

β Cell tone is defined by proglucagon peptides through cAMP signaling

Paracrine interactions between pancreatic islet cells have been proposed as a mechanism to regulate hormone secretion and glucose homeostasis. Here, we demonstrate the importance of proglucagon-derived peptides (PGDPs) for α to β cell communication and control of insulin secretion. Signaling through this system occurs through both the glucagon-like peptide receptor (Glp1r) and glucagon receptor (Gcgr). Loss of PGDPs, or blockade of their receptors, decreases insulin secretion in response to both metabolic and nonmetabolic stimulation of mouse and human islets. This effect is due to reduced β cell cAMP and affects the quantity but not dynamics of insulin release, indicating that PGDPs dictate the magnitude of insulin output in an isolated islet. In healthy mice, additional factors that stimulate cAMP can compensate for loss of PGDP signaling; however, input from α cells is essential to maintain glucose tolerance during the metabolic stress induced by high-fat feeding. These findings demonstrate an essential role for α cell regulation of β cells, raising the possibility that abnormal paracrine signaling contributes to impaired insulin secretion in diabetes. Moreover, these findings support reconsideration of the role for α cells in postprandial glucose control.

Targeting ovarian cancer and endothelium with an allosteric PTP4A3 phosphatase inhibitor

Overexpression of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP4A oncoproteins is common in many human cancers and is associated with poor patient prognosis and survival. We observed elevated levels of PTP4A3 phosphatase in 79% of human ovarian tumor samples, with significant overexpression in tumor endothelium and pericytes. Furthermore, PTP4A phosphatases appear to regulate several key malignant processes, such as invasion, migration, and angiogenesis, suggesting a pivotal regulatory role in cancer and endothelial signaling pathways. While phosphatases are attractive therapeutic targets, they have been poorly investigated because of a lack of potent and selective chemical probes. In this study, we disclose that a potent, selective, reversible, and noncompetitive PTP4A inhibitor, JMS-053, markedly enhanced microvascular barrier function after exposure of endothelial cells to vascular endothelial growth factor or lipopolysaccharide. JMS-053 also blocked the concomitant increase in RhoA activation and loss of Rac1. In human ovarian cancer cells, JMS-053 impeded migration, disrupted spheroid growth, and decreased RhoA activity. Importantly, JMS-053 displayed anticancer activity in a murine xenograft model of drug resistant human ovarian cancer. These data demonstrate that PTP4A phosphatases can be targeted in both endothelial and ovarian cancer cells, and confirm that RhoA signaling cascades are regulated by the PTP4A family.