Obesity: Fushiki T

Kawada T, Takahashi N, Fushiki T. · Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan. · J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). · Pubmed #11349884 No free full text.

Abstract: Since animals are under constant threat of starvation, storage of energy sources inside the body is essential for various activities. Therefore, animals exhibit highly sophisticated mechanisms for storing energy inside their bodies in adipose tissue. However, in humans it has been clarified that fat cell (adipocyte, which comprises adipose tissues) differentiation and the extent of subsequent fat accumulation (hypertrophy of cells) are closely associated with the occurrence and advancement of various diseases resulting from obesity. Moreover, progress in biochemical studies with respect to adipocyte in recent years has rapidly clarified new functions and differentiation mechanisms of adipocytes. Interesting points, in particular, are the function of white adipocytes as "secreting cells" and the molecular mechanism of adipocyte differentiation via the nuclear receptors. Consequently, adipose tissue is being targeted to prevent or treat many common diseases. This paper summarizes recent knowledge on characteristics, differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes and the mechanisms by which adipocytes are regulated.

Fukatsu Y, Noguchi T, Hosooka T, Ogura T, Kotani K, Abe T, Shibakusa T, Inoue K, Sakai M, Tobimatsu K, Inagaki K, Yoshioka T, Matsuo M, Nakae J, Matsuki Y, Hiramatsu R, Kaku K, Okamura H, Fushiki T, Kasuga M. · Department of Clinical Molecular Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. · Endocrinology. · Pubmed #19264873 No free full text.

Abstract: Physical exercise ameliorates metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, but the molecular basis of these effects remains elusive. In the present study, we found that exercise up-regulates heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) in skeletal muscle. To address the metabolic consequences of such gain of HB-EGF function, we generated mice that overexpress this protein specifically in muscle. The transgenic animals exhibited a higher respiratory quotient than did wild-type mice during indirect calorimetry, indicative of their selective use of carbohydrate rather than fat as an energy substrate. They also showed substantial increases in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and glucose uptake by skeletal muscle. These changes were accompanied by increased kinase activity of Akt in skeletal muscle and consequent inhibition of Forkhead box O1-dependent expression of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 gene. Furthermore, mice with a high level of transgene expression were largely protected from obesity, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance, even when maintained on a high-fat diet. Our results suggest that HB-EGF produced by contracting muscle acts as an insulin sensitizer that facilitates peripheral glucose disposal.

Naitoh R, Miyawaki K, Harada N, Mizunoya W, Toyoda K, Fushiki T, Yamada Y, Seino Y, Inagaki N. · Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. · Biochem Biophys Res Commun. · Pubmed #18723001 No free full text.

Abstract: Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) is an incretin and directly promotes fat accumulation in adipocytes. Inhibition of GIP signaling prevents onset of obesity and increases fat oxidation in peripheral tissues under high-fat diet (HFD), but the mechanism is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of inhibition of GIP signaling on adiponectin levels after 3 weeks of HFD by comparing wild-type (WT) mice and GIP receptor-deficient (Gipr(-/-)) mice. In HFD-fed Gipr(-/-) mice, fat oxidation was significantly increased and adiponectin mRNA levels in white adipose tissue and plasma adiponectin levels were significantly increased compared to those in HFD-fed WT mice. In addition, the PPARalpha mRNA level was increased and the ACC mRNA level was decreased in skeletal muscle of HFD-fed Gipr(-/-) mice compared with those in HFD-fed WT mice. These results indicate that inhibition of GIP signaling increases adiponectin levels, resulting in increased fat oxidation in peripheral tissues under HFD.

Nishino N, Tamori Y, Tateya S, Kawaguchi T, Shibakusa T, Mizunoya W, Inoue K, Kitazawa R, Kitazawa S, Matsuki Y, Hiramatsu R, Masubuchi S, Omachi A, Kimura K, Saito M, Amo T, Ohta S, Yamaguchi T, Osumi T, Cheng J, Fujimoto T, Nakao H, Nakao K, Aiba A, Okamura H, Fushiki T, Kasuga M. · Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. · J Clin Invest. · Pubmed #18654663 links to  free full text

Abstract: White adipocytes are unique in that they contain large unilocular lipid droplets that occupy most of the cytoplasm. To identify genes involved in the maintenance of mature adipocytes, we expressed dominant-negative PPARgamma in 3T3-L1 cells and performed a microarray screen. The fat-specific protein of 27 kDa (FSP27) was strongly downregulated in this context. FSP27 expression correlated with induction of differentiation in cultured preadipocytes, and the protein localized to lipid droplets in murine white adipocytes in vivo. Ablation of FSP27 in mice resulted in the formation of multilocular lipid droplets in these cells. Furthermore, FSP27-deficient mice were protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance and displayed an increased metabolic rate due to increased mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT). Depletion of FSP27 by siRNA in murine cultured white adipocytes resulted in the formation of numerous small lipid droplets, increased lipolysis, and decreased triacylglycerol storage, while expression of FSP27 in COS cells promoted the formation of large lipid droplets. Our results suggest that FSP27 contributes to efficient energy storage in WAT by promoting the formation of unilocular lipid droplets, thereby restricting lipolysis. In addition, we found that the nature of lipid accumulation in WAT appears to be associated with maintenance of energy balance and insulin sensitivity.

Zhou H, Yamada Y, Tsukiyama K, Miyawaki K, Hosokawa M, Nagashima K, Toyoda K, Naitoh R, Mizunoya W, Fushiki T, Kadowaki T, Seino Y. · Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. · Biochem Biophys Res Commun. · Pubmed #16105663 No free full text.

Abstract: Gut hormone gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells upon ingestion of nutrients. Inhibition of GIP signaling prevents the onset of obesity and consequent insulin resistance induced by high-fat diet. In this study, we investigated the role of GIP in accumulation of triglycerides into adipocytes and in fat oxidation peripherally using insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1-deficient mice and revealed that IRS-1(-/-)GIPR(-/-) mice exhibited both reduced adiposity and ameliorated insulin resistance. Furthermore, increased gene expression of CD36 and UCP2 in liver, and increased expression and enzyme activity of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase in skeletal muscle of IRS-1(-/-)GIPR(-/-) mice might contribute to the lower respiratory quotient and the higher fat oxidation in light phase. These results suggest that GIP plays a crucial role in switching from fat oxidation to fat accumulation under the diminished insulin action as a potential target for secondary prevention of insulin resistance.

Hibuse T, Maeda N, Funahashi T, Yamamoto K, Nagasawa A, Mizunoya W, Kishida K, Inoue K, Kuriyama H, Nakamura T, Fushiki T, Kihara S, Shimomura I. · Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2-B5 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. · Pubmed #16009937 links to  free full text

Abstract: In adipocytes, hydrolysis of triglycerides results in the release of free fatty acids and glycerol. Aquaporin 7 (AQP7), a member of aquaglyceroporins, is known to permeabilize glycerol and water. We recently generated Aqp7-knockout (KO) mice and demonstrated that such mice have low plasma glycerol levels and impaired glycerol release in response to beta3-adrenergic agonist, suggesting that AQP7 acts as a glycerol gateway molecule in adipocytes for the efficient release of glycerol in vivo. Although there was no difference in body weight between WT and KO mice until 10 weeks of age, here we found that KO mice developed adult-onset obesity. The body weight and fat mass increased significantly in KO mice compared with WT mice after 12 weeks of age. Adipocytes of KO mice were large and exhibited accumulation of triglycerides compared with WT mice. The KO mice developed obesity and insulin resistance even at a young age after consumption of high-fat/high-sucrose diet. We demonstrated the enhanced glycerol kinase enzymatic activity in Aqp7-KO and -knockdown adipocytes. A series of our results indicate that AQP7 disruption elevates adipose glycerol kinase activity, accelerates triglycerides synthesis in adipocytes, and, finally, develops obesity.

Son C, Hosoda K, Ishihara K, Bevilacqua L, Masuzaki H, Fushiki T, Harper ME, Nakao K. · Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. · Diabetologia. · Pubmed #14673524 No free full text.

Abstract: AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: It has been suggested that uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) can increase energy expenditure, thereby regulating body weight. Although studies on UCP3 knock-out mice suggest that lack of UCP3 function does not cause obesity or Type 2 diabetes, it is possible that up-regulation of UCP3 function improves these disorders or their clinical sequelae. A 10- to 20-fold increase of UCP3 gene expression is achievable through physiological or pharmacological stimuli. We examined the phenotype of transgenic mice with approximately 18-fold overexpression of mouse UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle. METHODS: We generated transgenic mice with approximately 18-fold overexpression of mouse UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle under control of the skeletal muscle-specific muscle creatine kinase gene promoter. The phenotype of these mice was analysed either on a standard diet or on a 4-week high-fat diet. RESULTS: In mice on standard chow, there was no difference in body weight, oxygen consumption and mitochondrial protonmotive force between transgenic mice and non-transgenic littermates. However, transgenic mice tended to have lower body weight, increased oxygen consumption and decreased mitochondrial protonmotive force than the control mice. Transgenic mice on a 4-week high-fat diet consumed much more oxygen and had noticeably less weight gain and less epididymal fat, as well as better glucose tolerance than non-transgenic littermates. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our study shows that 18-fold overexpression of UCP3 mRNA in the skeletal muscle reduced diet-induced obesity. An 18-fold increase of UCP3 mRNA can be attained by physiological or pharmacological stimuli, suggesting that UCP3 has therapeutic potential in the treatment of obesity.

Masuda Y, Haramizu S, Oki K, Ohnuki K, Watanabe T, Yazawa S, Kawada T, Hashizume S, Fushiki T. · Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto Univ., Kyoto 606-8502, Japan. · J Appl Physiol. · Pubmed #12959953 links to  free full text

Abstract: Capsiate is a nonpungent capsaicin analog, a recently identified principle of the nonpungent red pepper cultivar CH-19 Sweet. In the present study, we report that 2-wk treatment of capsiate increased metabolic rate and promoted fat oxidation at rest, suggesting that capsiate may prevent obesity. To explain these effects, at least in part, we examined uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and thyroid hormones. UCPs and thyroid hormones play important roles in energy expenditure, the maintenance of body weight, and thermoregulation. Two-week treatment of capsiate increased the levels of UCP1 protein and mRNA in brown adipose tissue and UCP2 mRNA in white adipose tissue. This dose of capsiate did not change serum triiodothyronine or thyroxine levels. A single dose of capsiate temporarily raised both UCP1 mRNA in brown adipose tissue and UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle. These results suggest that UCP1 and UCP2 may contribute to the promotion of energy metabolism by capsiate, but that thyroid hormones do not.

Miyawaki K, Yamada Y, Ban N, Ihara Y, Tsukiyama K, Zhou H, Fujimoto S, Oku A, Tsuda K, Toyokuni S, Hiai H, Mizunoya W, Fushiki T, Holst JJ, Makino M, Tashita A, Kobara Y, Tsubamoto Y, Jinnouchi T, Jomori T, Seino Y. · Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. · Nat Med. · Pubmed #12068290 No free full text.

Abstract: Secretion of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), a duodenal hormone, is primarily induced by absorption of ingested fat. Here we describe a novel pathway of obesity promotion via GIP. Wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet exhibited both hypersecretion of GIP and extreme visceral and subcutaneous fat deposition with insulin resistance. In contrast, mice lacking the GIP receptor (Gipr(-/-)) fed a high-fat diet were clearly protected from both the obesity and the insulin resistance. Moreover, double-homozygous mice (Gipr(-/-), Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)) generated by crossbreeding Gipr(-/-) and obese ob/ob (Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)) mice gained less weight and had lower adiposity than Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) mice. The Gipr(-/-) mice had a lower respiratory quotient and used fat as the preferred energy substrate, and were thus resistant to obesity. Therefore, GIP directly links overnutrition to obesity and it is a potential target for anti-obesity drugs.

Takeda M, Imaizumi M, Sawano S, Manabe Y, Fushiki T. · Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. · Nutrition. · Pubmed #11240339 No free full text.

Abstract: Corn oil is well tolerated by mice but tolerance may decrease with excessive ingestion. In the present study, we compared the effects of optional ingestion of excessive corn oil with ingestion of water (control) or a 20% sucrose solution in mice. During the entire study, mice consistently ingested 100% corn oil and incrementally ingested 20% sucrose. Food intake in the corn-oil group was approximately constant but that in the sucrose group was slightly decreased. Body-weight gains in the corn-oil group were higher than those in the control and sucrose groups. At the end of the study, hepatic hypertrophy and fatty liver were present, especially in the corn-oil group, and the visceral fat of mice fed corn oil increased significantly compared with the other two groups. These results suggest that mice, when given a choice, will continue to overeat corn oil over the long term, inducing excessive caloric intake and obesity.

Murota K, Kawada T, Matsui N, Sakakibara M, Takahashi N, Fushiki T. · Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan. · J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). · Pubmed #11227802 No free full text.

Abstract: Long-chain fatty acids are important nutrients, but obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in humans. In this study we investigated the effect of oleyl alcohol on the intestinal long-chain fatty acid absorption in rats. We administered [14C]oleic acid and oleyl alcohol as lipid emulsion intraduodenally in unanesthetized lymph-cannulated rats and measured the lymphatic output of oleic acid. Second, we orally administered lipid emulsion with a stomach tube and measured the luminal and mucosal oleic acid residues. Furthermore, rats were fed oleyl alcohol as a dietary component for 20 days, and fecal lipid and the weight of adipose tissues were measured. In lymph-cannulated rats, triglyceride and [14C]oleic acid output in the lymph were significantly lower in the presence of oleyl alcohol when compared with the absence of oleyl alcohol in a dose-dependent manner. The radioactivity remaining in the intestinal lumen was more strongly detected in rats that had been orally administered oleyl alcohol than in the controls. The feces of rats fed an oleyl-alcohol-added diet contained much higher amounts of lipids, and the weights of their adipose tissues were significantly lower than in the control group. These results suggest that oleyl alcohol inhibits the rat gastrointestinal absorption of long-chain fatty acids in vivo.

Ishihara K, Oyaizu S, Onuki K, Lim K, Fushiki T. · Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan. · J Nutr. · Pubmed #11110858 links to  free full text

Abstract: (-)-Hydroxycitrate (HCA) is an active ingredient that is extracted from the rind of the Indian fruit, Garcinia cambogia, which is available as an herbal supplement and is used to lose weight. In this study, the acute and chronic effects of HCA on energy metabolism were examined in male Std ddY mice. Mice were placed into metabolic chambers and administered 10 mg HCA or water (control) orally. Serum free fatty acid levels were significantly higher 100 min after administration in the HCA group, but the respiratory exchange ratio was not different from that in the control group. The concentration of glycogen in the gastrocnemius muscle was higher in the HCA group 16 h after administration, and in a separate study, the maximum swimming time until fatigue was slightly longer (P: = 0. 21) than that in the control group on d 1. The difference was significant on d 3 after 3 d of HCA or water administration. Other mice were administered 10 mg HCA or water orally twice a day for 25 d. On d 26, they were placed into metabolic chambers after administration and allowed to rest for 1 h, followed by 1 h of running at 15 m/min. Respiratory gas was monitored. The respiratory exchange ratio was significantly lower in the HCA group during both resting and exercising conditions. These results suggest that chronic administration of HCA promotes lipid oxidation and spares carbohydrate utilization in mice at rest and during running.

Hida Y, Matsui N, Kawada T, Fushiki T. · Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan. · J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). · Pubmed #10683812 No free full text.

Abstract: We have developed a new noninvasive method of estimating abdominal fat volume in live rats using ultrasonography. By this method, cross sections of perirenal (retroperitoneal) fat tissue, which is an abdominal fat, at the renal vein level could be identified and the area determined. The perirenal fat in Wistar rats (wide body weight range, 111.4 to 497.3 g; limited range, 300.1 to 337.9 g) measured by ultrasonography was compared with the actual fat tissue weight. The cross-sectional area of perirenal fat tissue was significantly correlated to the actual whole tissue weight. Using this procedure, we examined the changes of perirenal fat stores during fasting. Consequently, the cross-sectional area of perirenal fat and its actual weight decreased in parallel. Total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) is currently used to measure fat-free mass (FFM) and indirectly predicts total body fat mass of live laboratory animals. The body fat distribution, that is, the location of adipose tissue in the abdominal region, is closely associated with obesity-related diseases. Therefore, it is important to focus not only on the accumulation of total body fat, but also on that of abdominal fat. The present ultrasonographic method is considered to be useful for repeated noninvasive measurement of abdominal fat in the live rat.

Komazawa N, Matsuda M, Kondoh G, Mizunoya W, Iwaki M, Takagi T, Sumikawa Y, Inoue K, Suzuki A, Mak TW, Nakano T, Fushiki T, Takeda J, Shimomura I. · Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Frontier Bioscience, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan. · Nat Med. · Pubmed #15489860 No free full text.

Abstract: Pten is an important phosphatase, suppressing the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt pathway. Here, we generated adipose-specific Pten-deficient (AdipoPten-KO) mice, using newly generated Acdc promoter-driven Cre transgenic mice. AdipoPten-KO mice showed lower body and adipose tissue weights despite hyperphagia and enhanced insulin sensitivity with induced phosphorylation of Akt in adipose tissue. AdipoPten-KO mice also showed marked hyperthermia and increased energy expenditure with induced mitochondriagenesis in adipose tissue, associated with marked reduction of p53, inactivation of Rb, phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and increased expression of Ppargc1a, the gene that encodes peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha. Physiologically, adipose Pten mRNA decreased with exposure to cold and increased with obesity, which were linked to the mRNA alterations of mitochondriagenesis. Our results suggest that altered expression of adipose Pten could regulate insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure. Suppression of adipose Pten may become a beneficial strategy to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.