FoxO1 Plays an Important Role in Regulating β-Cell Compensation for Insulin Resistance in Male Mice

Endocrinology. 2016 Mar;157(3):1055-70. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1852. Epub 2016 Jan 4.

Abstract

β-Cell compensation is an essential mechanism by which β-cells increase insulin secretion for overcoming insulin resistance to maintain euglycemia in obesity. Failure of β-cells to compensate for insulin resistance contributes to insulin insufficiency and overt diabetes. To understand the mechanism of β-cell compensation, we characterized the role of forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) in β-cell compensation in mice under physiological and pathological conditions. FoxO1 is a key transcription factor that serves as a nutrient sensor for integrating insulin signaling to cell metabolism, growth, and proliferation. We showed that FoxO1 improved β-cell compensation via 3 distinct mechanisms by increasing β-cell mass, enhancing β-cell glucose sensing, and augmenting β-cell antioxidative function. These effects accounted for increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and enhanced glucose tolerance in β-cell-specific FoxO1-transgenic mice. When fed a high-fat diet, β-cell-specific FoxO1-transgenic mice were protected from developing fat-induced glucose disorder. This effect was attributable to increased β-cell mass and function. Furthermore, we showed that FoxO1 activity was up-regulated in islets, correlating with the induction of physiological β-cell compensation in high-fat-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. These data characterize FoxO1 as a pivotal factor for orchestrating physiological adaptation of β-cell mass and function to overnutrition and obesity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Forkhead Box Protein O1
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Glucose Transporter Type 2 / metabolism
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Insulin / metabolism*
  • Insulin Resistance / genetics*
  • Insulin Secretion
  • Insulin-Secreting Cells / metabolism*
  • Insulin-Secreting Cells / pathology
  • Islets of Langerhans / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Organ Size
  • Pancreas / metabolism
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism

Substances

  • FOXO1 protein, human
  • Forkhead Box Protein O1
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Foxo1 protein, mouse
  • Glucose Transporter Type 2
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Insulin
  • Slc2a2 protein, mouse
  • Trans-Activators
  • pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 protein