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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, Issue 14, 10325-10332, April 6, 2007
Hepatocyte Growth Factor Induces Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes through A Gab1/Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Glut4 Pathway*![]() ¶1![]() 2![]() ![]() ![]() ¶![]() ![]() ![]() ¶![]() ¶3![]() ¶34
From the
Received for publication, December 22, 2006 , and in revised form, February 5, 2007.
Adipose tissue is a source of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and circulating HGF levels have been associated with elevated body mass index in human. However, the effects of HGF on adipocyte functions have not yet been investigated. We show here that in 3T3-L1 adipocytes HGF stimulates the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase-dependent protein kinase B (PKB) activity, AS160 phosphorylation, Glut4 translocation, and consequently, glucose uptake. The initial steps involved in HGF- and insulin-induced glucose uptake are different. HGF enhanced the tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1, leading to the recruitment of the p85-regulated subunit of PI 3-kinase, whereas p85 was exclusively recruited by IRS1 in response to insulin. In adipocytes rendered insulin-resistant by a long-lasting tumor necrosis factor treatment, the protein level of Gab1 was strongly decreased, and HGF-stimulated PKB activation and glucose uptake were also altered. Moreover, treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with thiazolidinedione, an anti-diabetic drug, enhanced the expression of both HGF and its receptor. These data provide the first evidence that in vitro HGF promotes glucose uptake through a Gab1/PI 3-kinase/PKB/AS160 pathway which was altered in tumor necrosis factor -treated adipocytes.
White adipose tissue is the main site of energy storage; glucose and free fatty acids are transported into the adipocytes and stored as triacylglycerols. Glucose transport is largely induced by insulin, which stimulates the translocation of the glucose transporters Glut 4 and to a lesser extent Glut 1 from an intracellular pool to the plasma membrane (1). This biological response requires tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1, which in turn leads to binding and activation of PI 3-kinase. Downstream effectors of PI 3-kinase such as protein kinase B (PKB)5 and its substrate AS160 are involved in Glut 4 translocation. Furthermore, insulin-induced Glut 4 translocation could also involve the activation of a second pathway, which is completely independent of PI 3-kinase activity; that is, the Cbl/Crk-II/C3G/TC10 pathway (25).
Obesity is highly associated with metabolic disorders including insulin resistance. The insulin resistance of the adipose tissue could be involved in general insulin resistance and liver complications of obesity (69). White adipose tissue might be implicated in these complications through the secretion of a number of bioactive peptides and proteins, generally known as adipokines. Indeed, white adipose tissue is a source of hormones, cytokines, acute phase proteins, and growth factors including epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor, nerve growth factor, and also hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). In fact, HGF is expressed and secreted by mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes (10) and human adipose tissue (11, 12). Furthermore, HGF levels have been reported to be elevated in obese patients and raised with body mass index (13). On the other hand weight loss after gastroplasty has been shown to be associated with a reduction of HGF plasma levels in obese patients (12, 14). A strong association between elevated serum HGF and metabolic syndrome has also been reported (15).
The role of the local production of HGF in adipocyte functions has not yet been investigated. The HGF/HGF receptor pathway is indirectly involved in glucose transport. HGF could regulate the expression of glucose transporters in
HGF mediates its effects via a specific receptor. The HGF receptor is a cell surface glycoprotein composed of one extracellular
MaterialsDulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) was obtained from Cambrex Bio Sciences (Verviers, Belgium). Fetal calf serum and calf serum were from PAA Laboratories (Les Mureaux, France). Insulin was obtained from Lilly (Suresnes, France). HGF and TNF were from PeproTech, Inc. (Rocky Hill, NJ). 2-[3H]Deoxyglucose was purchased from PerkinElmer Life Sciences. [ -32P]ATP was purchased from GE Healthcare. Polyvinylidene difluoride membranes were purchased from Millipore (Bedford, MA). BCA reagent was obtained from Pierce. A protease inhibitors mixture was obtained from Roche Diagnostics. All other chemical reagents were purchased from Sigma. Antibodies against phosphotyrosine (clone 4G10), Gab1, and the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase were purchased from Upstate%20Biotechnology">Upstate Biotechnology (Lake Placid, NY). Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-IRS1 antibodies were purchased from Eurogentec (Seraing, Belgium) and Transduction Laboratories (Lexingston, KY), respectively. Anti-phospho-PKB (Thr308) and anti-PKB antibodies were purchased from Cell Signaling Technology (Beverly, MA). Anti-phospho AS160 (Thr642) and anti-AS160 antibodies were purchased from BIOSOURCE International, Inc. (Camarillo, CA) and AbCam Ltd (Cambridge, UK), respectively. The anti-Glut1 and anti-Glut4 antibodies were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA). Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated secondary antibodies were obtained from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc. (West Grove, PA). Enhanced chemiluminescence reagent was purchased from PerkinElmer Life Sciences. AnimalsGenetically obese diabetic db/db mice (n = 6) and their lean control db/+ littermates (n = 6) were purchased from Charles River Laboratories (St. Aubin les Elbeuf, France). Mice were housed at the animal facility of the Faculty of Medicine (Nice, France). Mice were maintained under a 12-h light: 12-h dark cycle and had free access to water and food. Mice were killed by cervical dislocation, and epididymal fat pads were removed and frozen-clamped in liquid nitrogen. Principles of laboratory animal care were followed, and the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medicine approved the animal experiments. Cell Culture3T3-L1 fibroblasts were grown in 35- or 100-mm dishes in DMEM, 25 mM glucose, and 10% calf serum and induced to differentiate into adipocytes as described previously (23). Briefly, 2 days after confluence, medium was changed for DMEM, 25 mM glucose, 10% fetal calf serum supplemented with isobutylmethylxanthine (0.5 mM), dexamethasone (0.25 µM), rosiglitazone (10 µM), and insulin (5 µg/ml). The medium was removed after 2 days and replaced with DMEM, 25 mM glucose, 10% fetal calf serum supplemented with rosiglitazone (10 µM), and insulin (5 µg/ml) for 2 other days. Then cells were fed every 2 days with DMEM, 25 mM glucose, 10% fetal calf serum. 3T3-L1 adipocytes were used 918 days after the beginning of the differentiation protocol. Before each experiment 3T3-L1 adipocytes were serum-starved overnight in DMEM supplemented with 0.5% bovine serum albumin.
2-Deoxyglucose UptakeAfter serum starvation, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated or not with wortmannin (100 nM) for 20 min or with TNF
Western Blotting and Co-immunoprecipitation AssaysAfter serum starvation 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated or not with TNF
Measurement of PI 3-Kinase ActivityAfter serum starvation 3T3-L1 adipocytes were either left untreated or incubated with HGF (100 ng/ml) for 10 min. Cell lysates were successively immunoprecipitated with anti-Gab1 and anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. Thereafter, immune pellets were washed twice with each of the following buffers: 1) PBS containing 1% Nonidet P-40 and 200 µM Na3VO4, 2) 100 mM Tris, pH 7.4, 0.5 M LiCl, and 200 µM Na3VO4, and 3) 10 mM Tris, pH 7.4, 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, and 200 µM Na3VO4. The PI 3-kinase assay was performed directly on the immune pellets as described previously (24). Briefly, 10 µg of sonicated L- Preparation of Plasma Membrane Lawns, Immunofluorescence, and Image AnalysisThe 3T3-L1 cells were grown on glass coverslips and differentiated as described above. After serum starvation the 3T3-L1 adipocytes were washed with Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer and incubated for 10 min in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer supplemented with 0.2% bovine serum albumin and 1.25 mM CaCl2. Cells were then either left untreated or stimulated with HGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (0.5 nM) for 20 min. Plasma membrane lawns were prepared as previously described (25). Briefly, after 2 washes with ice-cold PBS, cells were fixed with 0.55 mg/ml poly-L-lysine for 1 min at 4 °C and then swollen by three successive rinses with a hypotonic buffer (30 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 70 mM KCl, 5 mM MgCl2, 3 mM EGTA). The swollen cells were sonicated in the hypotonic buffer supplemented with 1 mM dithiothreitol and proteases inhibitors, and the bound membrane sheets were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and blocked with PBS containing 1% bovine serum albumin and 4% calf serum. Thereafter, plasma membrane lawns were incubated with anti-Glut1 or anti-Glut4 antibodies (5 µg/ml in blocking buffer) for 1 h at room temperature and washed 3 times 10 min with blocking buffer. They were then incubated for 1 h at room temperature with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated secondary antibodies and wheat germ agglutinin-Texas Red to normalize. After three 10-min washes with blocking buffer, the coverslips were mounted in Mowiol onto glass slides. The plasma membrane lawns were analyzed with an Axiovert 200 microscope using a Plan-Neofluar 40 x 1.3 numeral aperture oil objective (Carl Zeiss, Göttingen, Germany). Images were acquired using a cooled digital camera (CoolSnap HQ, Roper Scientific Princeton Instruments, Evry, France), and quantification was made using Metamorph image analysis software with auto-threshold detection of pixels (Universal Imaging Corp., Downington, PA) as described previously (25).
Real-time Quantitative PCR AnalysisTotal RNAs from 3T3-L1 cells and mouse white adipose tissue were isolated using the RNAble total RNA extraction kit (Eurobio, France) and TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen), respectively. cDNA was synthesized using the Standard Two-step RT-PCR-&GOTM kit (MP Biomedicals Europe) from 1 µg of total RNA in a final volume of 100 µl. Real time quantitative PCR was performed in duplicate with the ABI PRISM 7000 sequence detection system and SYBRGreen dye (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Primers were designed using Primer Express program (Applied Biosystems). The list of sequences used for primers is available upon request (gual{at}unice.fr). The reaction mix consisted of 12.5 µl of qPCR MasterMix Plus for SYBR® green I (Eurogentec, Seraing, Belgium), 400 nM forward and reverse primers, and 5 µl of
Calculation and Statistical AnalysisData are expressed as the means ± S.E. The statistical difference between mRNA levels in obese and lean mice was determined with the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test using the
The Gene Expression of HGF Was Increased in Adipose Tissue from Obese Diabetic MiceWe first examined whether HGF and HGF receptor were differentially expressed in white adipose tissue from lean and obese diabetic mice. Total RNAs were isolated from the epididymal fat pads of lean db/+ mice and obese diabetic db/db mice, and the gene expression levels of HGF and HGF receptor were determined using real-time quantitative PCR. As shown in Fig. 1A, the HGF gene expression was significantly increased in adipose tissue from obese diabetic db/db mice compared with lean controls, whereas the gene expressions of HGF receptor were unchanged. We then evaluated the gene expression levels of HGF and its receptor in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. As shown in Fig. 1B, HGF was strongly expressed in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts, and its receptor was much more expressed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. To secure the quality of the cell differentiation, aP2 was used as a marker of adipocyte differentiation and was found to be predominantly expressed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes (data not shown).
HGF Stimulated Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 AdipocytesWe then examined whether HGF was able to induce glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of HGF (from 12.5 to 200 nM) for 20 min, and deoxyglucose uptake was measured. HGF treatment resulted in a significant increase in deoxyglucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal effect at 100 ng/ml (
HGF Enhanced Glut4 Translocation in 3T3-L1 AdipocytesGlucose transport is dependent on the translocation of specific glucose transporters, including Glut1 and Glut4, from intracellular compartments to the plasma membrane (3). To determine the effect of HGF on the translocation of both Gluts, plasma membrane lawns were prepared from 3T3-L1 adipocytes incubated with or without HGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (0.5 nM) for 20 min, and the amount of plasma membrane-associated glucose transporters was analyzed by immunofluorescence with specific antibodies. As previously described (3, 5), insulin stimulation was mainly associated with the translocation to the plasma membrane of Glut4. Whereas insulin at 0.5 nM enhanced the translocation of Glut4 but not Glut1 (Fig. 3), a supraphysiological concentration of insulin (100 nM) stimulated the translocation of both glucose transporters (data not shown). HGF also significantly increased ( 3-fold) Glut4 translocation to the plasma membrane without any effect on Glut1 (Fig. 3).
Activation of PI 3-Kinase Was Required for HGF-induced Glucose Uptake in the 3T3-L1 AdipocytesIt is well established that activation of PI 3-kinase is necessary for insulin-stimulated Glut4 translocation and glucose transport (3, 5, 26). We, therefore, tested whether PI 3-kinase activation was also required for HGF effect. 3T3-L1 adipocytes were pretreated with a PI 3-kinase inhibitor (wortmannin, 100 nM) before HGF stimulation (100 ng/ml), and deoxyglucose uptake was measured. We observed that inhibition of the PI 3-kinase activity by wortmannin abolished HGF-induced glucose uptake (Fig. 4A), indicating that glucose uptake in response to HGF is completely dependent on the PI 3-kinase pathway. Among the PI 3-kinase effectors, PKB and its substrate AS160 regulate the insulin-stimulated Glut4 translocation in adipocytes (4). To investigate whether HGF also promoted PKB and AS160 phosphorylation, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with or without HGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (0.5 nM) for 10 min, and the phosphorylation levels of PKB and AS160 were analyzed by Western blotting with anti-phosphospecific antibodies. As shown in Fig. 4B, HGF, like insulin, induced the phosphorylation of PKB and AS160. Thus, activation of the PI 3-kinase/PKB/AS160 pathway played an important role in the HGF-stimulated glucose transport.
HGF Stimulated the PI-3 Kinase Activity Mainly via Gab1 in 3T3-L1 AdipocytesIt has been reported in several cell lines that the majority of the HGF-stimulated PI 3-kinase activity is associated with the docking protein Gab1 (20, 22). In contrast, the insulin-stimulated PI 3-kinase activity is mainly associated with IRS1, although the insulin receptor can also phosphorylate Gab1 in fibroblasts and hepatocytes (27, 28). We, therefore, attempted to assess the relative contribution of Gab1 and IRS1 to recruit the p85 subunit of the PI 3-kinase upon HGF or insulin stimulation. Gab1 and IRS1 were immunoprecipitated from 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated or not with HGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (0.5 nM) for 10 and 20 min. Their tyrosine phosphorylation levels and the association of p85 were analyzed by Western blotting with anti-phosphotyrosine and anti-p85 antibodies, respectively. As seen in Fig. 5, A and B, HGF treatment led to a large increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1 and the recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase. In contrast, in response to insulin, Gab1 was weakly tyrosine-phosphorylated and did not recruit the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase. Whereas no phosphorylation of IRS1 was observed upon HGF stimulation, insulin elicited, as expected, the tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 leading to the recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase (Fig. 5A). Taken together these findings indicated that the Gab1/PI 3-kinase complex was stimulated in response to HGF, whereas the IRS1·PI 3-kinase complex was triggered upon insulin stimulation. Because PI 3-kinase could be directly recruited by the HGF receptor, we therefore assessed the relative contribution of Gab1 in the HGF-stimulated PI 3-kinase activity. 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with HGF (100 ng/ml) for 10 min. Gab1 and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins were successively immunoprecipitated from the total lysates, and the PI 3-kinase activity associated to the immune pellets was determined. Although HGF induced a
Chronic TNF Treatment of 3T3-L1 Adipocytes Induced an HGF Resistance StatePrevious studies have shown that prolonged TNF treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes causes a state of insulin resistance leading to a strong decrease in IRS1 protein levels, insulin-induced PKB activation, and glucose uptake (29). We, therefore, determined whether HGF could still mediate its effect in insulin resistant adipocytes. Cells were pretreated with TNF (50 ng/ml) for 24 h before stimulation with HGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (0.5 nM) for 20 min, and deoxyglucose uptake was then measured. Although TNF treatment induced a significant increase in the basal glucose transport, the HGF and insulin effects on glucose transport were markedly reduced (33 ± 10 and 62 ± 6% of inhibition, respectively) (Fig. 7A). The impairment of HGF effect was correlated with a strong decrease in Gab1 protein levels and HGF-stimulated PKB phosphorylation (Fig. 7B), indicating that adipocytes rendered insulin resistant by TNF lost their sensitivity to HGF.
Rosiglitazone Treatment Increased HGF and HGF Receptor Gene Expression in 3T3-L1 AdipocytesBecause thiazolidinedione, an anti-diabetic drug, decreased the expression of TNF
In the present study we have shown that the gene expression of HGF is strongly increased in adipose tissue from obese diabetic mice compared with lean mice. In 3T3-L1 cells, HGF was predominantly expressed in fibroblasts compared with adipocytes, and HGF enhanced glucose uptake and lipogenesis (data not shown) in adipocytes. These results could suggest that the local production of HGF, mainly secreted by the fibroblasts, could regulate the functions of the adipocytes. In favor of this, it has been reported that a large part of the HGF release (>90%) could be attributed to the nonfat cells (11) such as preadipocytes, fibroblasts, macrophages, and endothelial cells (11, 3235). However, HGF was also expressed to a lesser extent by 3T3-L1 adipocytes, suggesting an autocrine loop in adipocytes in addition to paracrine effects from HGF produced in stromal cells. After secretion, HGF has to be cleaved to be active (36). It seems to be the case since HGF secreted by the adipose tissue stimulated the growth of a HGF receptor-expressing mouse mammary carcinoma (10) and promoted tube formation of vascular endothelial cells in vitro (37). HGF belongs to the adipokines that are present in blood at very low concentrations (0.7 ng/ml in lean patients, 2.5 ng/ml in morbidly obese patients, 5 ng/ml in mice) (13). However, in adipose tissue explants a large secretion of HGF occurs compared with serum concentration (11). Furthermore, since HGF could be retained with extracellular matrix in the producing tissue, its local concentration could be much greater than circulating levels. Thus, although the circulating level of HGF is low, the large production of active HGF by adipose tissue could have a local role.
HGF and insulin stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes via a mechanism exclusively or mainly dependent on the PI 3-kinase activity, respectively. However, insulin and HGF activated the PI 3-kinase through different docking proteins; IRS1 in response to insulin and Gab1 upon HGF stimulation. Whereas insulin weakly stimulated the phosphorylation of Gab1, we did not detect the recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase. In agreement with this, it has been reported that the insulin-induced PI 3-kinase activity was mainly associated with IRS1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Interestingly, a large part of this activity was associated with Gab1 in undifferentiated fibroblasts (27). This suggests a different role of Gab1 in insulin signaling depending on cell type.
The role of Gab-1 in glucose uptake has already been reported. The microinjection of anti-Gab-1 antibodies strongly inhibits osmotic shock-induced Glut 4 translocation without altering insulin effect (38). We have previously shown that osmotic shock-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1 led to glucose uptake via a mechanism independent of the PI 3-kinase activity (23). On the contrary, the phosphorylation of Gab1 in response to HGF mainly activated the PI 3-kinase/PKB/AS160 pathway, leading to the subsequent glucose uptake. This indicates that HGF could activate different signaling pathways dependent on Gab1, but activation of the PI 3-kinase played a critical role in HGF-stimulated glucose transport. Therefore, the activation of Gab1 dependent pathways could be a good target to enhance glucose uptake in adipocytes in insulin resistance and diabetes. It was indeed not the case since the HGF signaling pathway was also altered in adipocytes treated with TNF
The partial correction of the insulin resistance has been reported after the treatment with TZD, an anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic drug. TZD inhibits the secretion of cytokines such as TNF The secretion of HGF by adipose tissue could, therefore, contribute to elevated serum HGF in obesity, whereas its role in obesity has not yet been identified. We have shown here that the production of HGF by adipose tissue could play a local role because it stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes. The insulin mimetic effect of HGF is dependent on different early proximal signaling events from those activated by insulin. However, the role of local production of HGF in adipose tissue growth should also be investigated in a future issue.
* This work was supported by grants from the INSERM (France), the University of Nice, the Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique (CHU of Nice), the Comité Doyen Jean Lépine (Nice, France), French Research Ministry Grants ACI JC5327 and ANR-05-PCOD-025-02 (to P. G.), and a ROCHE-AFERO grant (to P. G.). This work is part of the project "Hepatic and Adipose Tissue and Functions in the Metabolic Syndrome", which is supported by the European Commission as an Integrated Project under the 6th Framework Programme (Contract LSHM-CT-2005-018734). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 Supported by the Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique (CHU of Nice).
2 Supported by ANR-05-PCOD-025-02.
3 Recipient of an Interface Grant from CHU of Nice. 4 To whom correspondence should be addressed: INSERM U 568, Facultéde médecine, avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 02, France. Tel.: 33-4-93-37-76-30; Fax: 33-4-93-37-77-01; E-mail: gual{at}unice.fr.
5 The abbreviations used are: PKB, protein kinase B; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; PI 3-kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; Gab1, Grb2-associated binder 1; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; TZD, thiazolidinedione.
The assistance of T. Gonzalez and T. Grémeaux is greatly acknowledged. We thank Dr. R. Govers for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful discussions.
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