Alejandro Emilyn U, Bozadjieva Nadejda, Blandino-Rosano Manuel, Wasan Michelle Ann, Elghazi Lynda, Vadrevu Suryakiran, Satin Leslie, Bernal-Mizrachi Ernesto
Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Diabetes. 2017 Aug;66(8):2150-2162. doi: 10.2337/db16-1349. Epub 2017 May 25.
Regulation of glucose homeostasis by insulin depends on β-cell growth and function. Nutrients and growth factor stimuli converge on the conserved protein kinase mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), existing in two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. To understand the functional relevance of mTOR enzymatic activity in β-cell development and glucose homeostasis, we generated mice overexpressing either one or two copies of a kinase-dead mTOR mutant (KD-mTOR) transgene exclusively in β-cells. We examined glucose homeostasis and β-cell function of these mice fed a control chow or high-fat diet. Mice with two copies of the transgene [RIPCre;KD-mTOR (Homozygous)] develop glucose intolerance due to a defect in β-cell function without alterations in β-cell mass with control chow. Islets from RIPCre;KD-mTOR (Homozygous) mice showed reduced mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling along with transcripts and protein levels of Pdx-1. Islets with reduced mTORC2 signaling in their β-cells (RIPCre;Rictor) also showed reduced Pdx-1. When challenged with a high-fat diet, mice carrying one copy of KD-mTOR mutant transgene developed glucose intolerance and β-cell insulin secretion defect but showed no changes in β-cell mass. These findings suggest that the mTOR-mediated signaling pathway is not essential to β-cell growth but is involved in regulating β-cell function in normal and diabetogenic conditions.
胰岛素对葡萄糖稳态的调节依赖于β细胞的生长和功能。营养物质和生长因子刺激作用于雷帕霉素机制性靶标(mTOR)这一保守的蛋白激酶,mTOR存在于两种复合物中,即mTORC1和mTORC2。为了解mTOR酶活性在β细胞发育和葡萄糖稳态中的功能相关性,我们构建了仅在β细胞中过表达一个或两个拷贝的激酶失活型mTOR突变体(KD-mTOR)转基因的小鼠。我们检测了这些喂食对照饲料或高脂饮食的小鼠的葡萄糖稳态和β细胞功能。带有两个转基因拷贝的小鼠[RIPCre;KD-mTOR(纯合子)]出现葡萄糖不耐受,原因是β细胞功能缺陷,而对照饲料喂养时β细胞质量无改变。RIPCre;KD-mTOR(纯合子)小鼠的胰岛显示mTORC1和mTORC2信号以及Pdx-1的转录本和蛋白水平降低。β细胞中mTORC2信号降低的胰岛(RIPCre;Rictor)也显示Pdx-1降低。当用高脂饮食进行挑战时,携带一个KD-mTOR突变转基因拷贝的小鼠出现葡萄糖不耐受和β细胞胰岛素分泌缺陷,但β细胞质量无变化。这些发现表明,mTOR介导的信号通路对β细胞生长并非必不可少,但在正常和致糖尿病条件下参与调节β细胞功能。