The human longevity gene homolog INDY and interleukin-6 interact in hepatic lipid metabolism

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Christian von Loeffelholz - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Stefanie Lieske - , TUD Dresden University of Technology, University of Potsdam (Author)
  • Frank Neuschäfer-Rube - , University of Potsdam (Author)
  • Diana M. Willmes - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Nathanael Raschzok - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Igor M. Sauer - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Jörg König - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Martin F. Fromm - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Paul Horn - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Antonios Chatzigeorgiou - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Andrea Pathe-Neuschäfer-Rube - , University of Potsdam (Author)
  • Jens Jordan - , University of Cologne (Author)
  • Andreas F.H. Pfeiffer - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.) (Author)
  • Geltrude Mingrone - , King's College London (KCL), Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Author)
  • Stefan R. Bornstein - , Department of Internal Medicine III, King's College London (KCL), German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.) (Author)
  • Peter Stroehle - , Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research (Author)
  • Christoph Harms - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • F. Thomas Wunderlich - , Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research (Author)
  • Stephen L. Helfand - , Brown University (Author)
  • Michel Bernier - , National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Author)
  • Rafael de Cabo - , National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Author)
  • Gerald I. Shulman - , Yale University (Author)
  • Triantafyllos Chavakis - , Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (Author)
  • Gerhard P. Püschel - , University of Potsdam (Author)
  • Andreas L. Birkenfeld - , Department of Internal Medicine III, German Center for Diabetes Research - Paul Langerhans Insitute Dresden (Partner: HMGU), King's College London (KCL), Study Center for Metabolic Vascular Medicine, German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.) (Author)

Abstract

Reduced expression of the Indy (“I am Not Dead, Yet”) gene in lower organisms promotes longevity in a manner akin to caloric restriction. Deletion of the mammalian homolog of Indy (mIndy, Slc13a5) encoding for a plasma membrane–associated citrate transporter expressed highly in the liver, protects mice from high-fat diet–induced and aging-induced obesity and hepatic fat accumulation through a mechanism resembling caloric restriction. We studied a possible role of mIndy in human hepatic fat metabolism. In obese, insulin-resistant patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatic mIndy expression was increased and mIndy expression was also independently associated with hepatic steatosis. In nonhuman primates, a 2-year high-fat, high-sucrose diet increased hepatic mIndy expression. Liver microarray analysis showed that high mIndy expression was associated with pathways involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and immunological processes. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was identified as a regulator of mIndy by binding to its cognate receptor. Studies in human primary hepatocytes confirmed that IL-6 markedly induced mIndy transcription through the IL-6 receptor and activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and a putative start site of the human mIndy promoter was determined. Activation of the IL-6–signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway stimulated mIndy expression, enhanced cytoplasmic citrate influx, and augmented hepatic lipogenesis in vivo. In contrast, deletion of mIndy completely prevented the stimulating effect of IL-6 on citrate uptake and reduced hepatic lipogenesis. These data show that mIndy is increased in liver of obese humans and nonhuman primates with NALFD. Moreover, our data identify mIndy as a target gene of IL-6 and determine novel functions of IL-6 through mINDY. Conclusion: Targeting human mINDY may have therapeutic potential in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00005450. (Hepatology 2017;66:616–630).

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)616-630
Number of pages15
JournalHepatology
Volume66
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2017
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#78841
Scopus 85014417037
PubMed 28133767

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas