Isolation of Primary Mouse Hepatocytes for Nascent Protein Synthesis Analysis by Non-radioactive L-azidohomoalanine Labeling Method

Hepatocytes are parenchymal cells of the liver and engage multiple metabolic functions, including synthesis and secretion of proteins essential for ...

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

University of Cincinnati

Aberrant stress and inflammatory responses are key factors in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic dysfunction, and the double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase (PKR) has been proposed to play an important role in integrating these pathways. Here, we report the formation of a complex between PKR and TAR RNA-binding protein (TRBP) during metabolic and obesity-induced stress, which is critical for the regulation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) phosphorylation and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. We show that TRBP phosphorylation is induced in the setting of metabolic stress, leading to PKR activation. Suppression of hepatic TRBP reduced inflammation, JNK activity, and eIF2α phosphorylation and improved systemic insulin resistance and glucose metabolism, while TRBP overexpression exacerbated the impairment in glucose homeostasis in obese mice. These data indicate that the association between PKR and TRBP integrates metabolism with translational control and inflammatory signaling and plays important roles in metabolic homeostasis and disease. 

A critical role for PKR complexes with TRBP in Immunometabolic regulation and eIF2α phosphorylation in obesity.

Protein kinase RNA-activated (PKR) has long been known to be activated by viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) as part of the mammalian immune response. However, in mice PKR is also activated by metabolic stress in the absence of viral infection, and this requires a functional kinase domain, as well as a functional dsRNA-binding domain. The endogenous cellular RNA that potentially leads to PKR activation during metabolic stress is unknown. We investigated this question using mouse embryonic fibroblast cells expressing wild-type PKR (PKRWT) or PKR with a point mutation in each dsRNA-binding motif (PKRRM). Using this system, we identified endogenous RNA that interacts with PKR after induction of metabolic stress by palmitic acid (PA) treatment. Specifically, RIP-Seq analyses showed that the majority of enriched RNAs that interacted with WT PKR (≥twofold, false discovery rate ≤ 5%) were small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). Immunoprecipitation of PKR in extracts of UV-cross-linked cells, followed by RT-qPCR, confirmed that snoRNAs were enriched in PKRWT samples after PA treatment, but not in the PKRRM samples. We also demonstrated that a subset of identified snoRNAs bind and activate PKR in vitro; the presence of a 5'-triphosphate enhanced PKR activity compared with the activity with a 5'-monophosphate, for some, but not all, snoRNAs. Finally, we demonstrated PKR activation in cells upon snoRNA transfection, supporting our hypothesis that endogenous snoRNAs can activate PKR. Our results suggest an unprecedented and unexpected model whereby snoRNAs play a role in the activation of PKR under metabolic stress. 

Potential role for snoRNAs in PKR activation during metabolic stress.

dsRNA in immunometabolism.

In mammals, there are four Argonaute (Ago) family proteins that play crucial roles in RNA silencing, a process wherein microRNA (miRNA) mediates inhibition of target mRNA translation. Among the Ago proteins, Argonaute2 (Ago2) uniquely possesses an endoribonuclease (slicer) activity that is critical for the biogenesis of specific miRNAs and mRNA cleavage. This Ago2 slicer activity is required for postnatal development. Despite its important roles, there are still gaps in our understanding of the mechanistic basis of Ago2's unique functions in vivo due to a limited availability of experimental tools. In order to investigate Ago2's functions, we generated a new cellular model of Ago2-deficiency in 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). This cell line can be used for investigating general Ago2 functions, but also for further understanding of Ago2's unique characteristics including the slicer activity, specific amino acid residues, and domains in Ago2 by reconstitution of Ago2 mutants. Here, we describe the methods for establishing Ago2-deficient MEFs and for reconstituting the MEFs with an Ago2 mutant lacking its slicer activity by means of a retrovirus-mediated gene transfer.

Cellular Approaches in Investigating Argonaute2-Dependent RNA Silencing.

Exposure to cold temperature is well known to upregulate heat shock protein (Hsp) expression and recruit and/or activate brown adipose tissue and beige adipocytes in humans and animals. However, whether and how Hsps regulate adipocyte function for energy homeostatic responses is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a critical role of Hsp20 as a negative regulator of adipocyte function. Deletion of Hsp20 enhances non-shivering thermogenesis and suppresses inflammatory responses, leading to improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism under both chow diet and high-fat diet conditions. Mechanistically, Hsp20 controls adipocyte function by interacting with the subunit of the ubiquitin ligase complex, F-box only protein 4 (FBXO4), and regulating the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of peroxisome proliferation activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Indeed, Hsp20 deficiency mimics and enhances the pharmacological effects of the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone. Together, our findings suggest a role of Hsp20 in mediating adipocyte function by linking β-adrenergic signaling to PPARγ activity.

An Hsp20-FBXO4 Axis Regulates Adipocyte Function through Modulating PPARγ Ubiquitination.

RNA silencing inhibits mRNA translation. While mRNA translation accounts for the majority of cellular energy expenditure, it is unclear if RNA silencing regulates energy homeostasis. Here, we report that hepatic Argonaute 2 (Ago2)-mediated RNA silencing regulates both intrinsic energy production and consumption and disturbs energy metabolism in the pathogenesis of obesity. Ago2 regulates expression of specific miRNAs including miR-802, miR-103/107, and miR-148a/152, causing metabolic disruption, while simultaneously suppressing the expression of genes regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, including Hnf1β, Cav1, and Ampka1. Liver-specific Ago2-deletion enhances mitochondrial oxidation and ATP consumption associated with mRNA translation, which results in AMPK activation, and improves obesity-associated pathophysiology. Notably, hepatic Ago2-deficiency improves glucose metabolism in conditions of insulin receptor antagonist treatment, high-fat diet challenge, and hepatic AMPKα1-deletion. The regulation of energy metabolism by Ago2 provides a novel paradigm in which RNA silencing plays an integral role in determining basal metabolic activity in obesity-associated sequelae.

Takahisa Nakamura

Division of Endocrinology,
Division of Developmental Biology

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Isolation of Primary Mouse Hepatocytes for Nascent Protein Synthesis Analysis by Non-radioactive L-azidohomoalanine Labeling Method

Takahisa Nakamura

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Division of Endocrinology,Division of Developmental Biology

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Isolation of Primary Mouse Hepatocytes for Nascent Protein Synthesis Analysis by Non-radioactive L-azidohomoalanine Labeling Method

Division of Endocrinology,
Division of Developmental Biology