Insulin and IGF1 signaling initiate Tyr phosphorylation of IR/IGF1R and adaptor IRSs, leading to Ser/Thr phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways essential for the maintenance of brown and white adipose tissues (BAT and WAT). Lack of insulin-signaling in adipose tissues caused metabolic disease in mice with hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and fatty liver, but the mice recovered adipose tissues by regenerating adipocytes. We addressed the mechanism of how adipose tissues regenerate using adipocyte-specific and inducible IR/IGF1R knockout mice (Ai-DKO). We identified a reduction of protein phosphatase protector, α4, which can regulate Ser/Thr phosphorylation of down-stream insulin signaling. shRNA-mediated α4 knockdown (KD) in BAT affected not only insulin-stimulated down-stream Ser/Thr phosphorylation of AKT (S473) but also affected up-stream Tyr phosphorylation of IRβ (Y1162/1163) and IRS1 (Y612). Proteomics analysis of α4-binding molecule identified Y-box protein 1 (YBX1), which functions as a transcription factor for Tyr phosphatase PTP1B. We observed increased PTP1B expression in α4-KO preadipocytes. As the impact of α4 in vivo, inducible adipocyte-specific α4 KO (Ai-α4 KO) mice with tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERT2 transgene showed cold intolerance, diabetes, ectopic lipid accumulation in the liver, and pancreatic islet hyperplasia, with an increase of C18: 0-ceramide in WAT and BAT. RNA-seq showed a marked reduction of genes associated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and the increases in inflammatory cytokine pathways in Ai-α4 KO WAT and BAT, implicating the cause of fat tissue loss was the increased adipocyte apoptosis. The α4 to PTP1B loop is critical for fat tissue maintenance by regulating IR tyrosine phosphorylation.
M. Sakaguchi: None. S. Okagawa: None. Y. Okubo: None. K. Fukuda: None. M. Igata: None. J. Kawashima: None. T. Kondo: None. E. Araki: Other Relationship; Self; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, Eli Lilly Japan K. K., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, MSD K. K., Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd., Sanofi K. K., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca K. K., Kowa Company, Ltd.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp; Takeda Foundation