Aging is associated with central fat redistribution and insulin resistance. To identify age-related adipose features, we evaluated the senescence and adipogenic potential of adipose-derived stromal ...cells (ASCs) from abdominal subcutaneous fat obtained from healthy normal-weight young (<25 years) or older women (>60 years). Increased cell passages of young-donor ASCs (in vitro aging) resulted in senescence but not oxidative stress. ASC-derived adipocytes presented impaired adipogenesis but no early mitochondrial dysfunction. Conversely, aged-donor ASCs at early passages displayed oxidative stress and mild senescence. ASC-derived adipocytes exhibited oxidative stress, and early mitochondrial dysfunction but adipogenesis was preserved. In vitro aging of aged-donor ASCs resulted in further increased senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and severe adipocyte dysfunction. When in vitro aged young-donor ASCs were treated with metformin, no alteration was alleviated. Conversely, metformin treatment of aged-donor ASCs decreased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in decreased senescence. Metformin's prevention of oxidative stress and of the resulting senescence improved the cells' adipogenic capacity and insulin sensitivity. This effect was mediated by the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase as revealed by its specific inhibition and activation. Overall, aging ASC-derived adipocytes presented impaired adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity. Targeting stress-induced senescence of ASCs with metformin may improve age-related adipose tissue dysfunction.
Early in the HIV epidemic, lipodystrophy, characterized by subcutaneous fat loss (lipoatrophy), with or without central fat accumulation (lipohypertrophy), was recognized as a frequent condition ...among people living with HIV (PLWH) receiving combination antiretroviral therapy. The subsequent identification of thymidine analogue nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors as the cause of lipoatrophy led to the development of newer antiretroviral agents; however, studies have demonstrated continued abnormalities in fat and/or lipid storage in PLWH treated with newer drugs (including integrase inhibitor-based regimens), with fat gain due to restoration to health in antiretroviral therapy-naive PLWH, which is compounded by the rising rates of obesity. The mechanisms of fat alterations in PLWH are complex, multifactorial and not fully understood, although they are known to result in part from the direct effects of HIV proteins and antiretroviral agents on adipocyte health, genetic factors, increased microbial translocation, changes in the adaptive immune milieu after infection, increased tissue inflammation and accelerated fibrosis. Management includes classical lifestyle alterations with a role for pharmacological therapies and surgery in some patients. Continued fat alterations in PLWH will have an important effect on lifespan, healthspan and quality of life as patients age worldwide, highlighting the need to investigate the critical uncertainties regarding pathophysiology, risk factors and management.
Summary
To maintain bone mass turnover and bone mineral density (BMD), bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are constantly recruited and subsequently differentiated into osteoblasts. ...HIV‐infected patients present lower BMD than non‐HIV infected individuals and a higher prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis. In antiretroviral treatment (ART)‐naive patients, encoded HIV proteins represent pathogenic candidates. They are released by infected cells within BM and can impact on neighbouring cells. In this study, we tested whether HIV proteins Tat and/or Nef could induce senescence of human BM‐MSCs and reduce their capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts. When compared to nontreated cells, MSCs chronically treated with Tat and/or Nef up to 30 days reduced their proliferative activity and underwent early senescence, associated with increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. The antioxidant molecule N‐acetyl‐ cysteine had no or minimal effects on Tat‐ or Nef‐induced senescence. Tat but not Nef induced an early increase in NF‐κB activity and cytokine/chemokine secretion. Tat‐induced effects were prevented by the NF‐κB inhibitor parthenolide, indicating that Tat triggered senescence via NF‐κB activation leading to oxidative stress. Otherwise, Nef‐ but not Tat‐treated cells displayed early inhibition of autophagy. Rapamycin, an autophagy inducer, reversed Nef‐induced senescence and oxidative stress. Moreover, Tat+Nef had cumulative effects. Finally, Tat and/or Nef decreased the MSC potential of osteoblastic differentiation. In conclusion, our in vitro data show that Tat and Nef could reduce the number of available precursors by inducing MSC senescence, through either enhanced inflammation or reduced autophagy. These results offer new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of decreased BMD in HIV‐infected patients.
Although white AT can contribute to anti-infectious immune responses, it can also be targeted and perturbed by pathogens. The AT's immune involvement is primarily due to strong pro-inflammatory ...responses (with both local and paracrine effects), and the large number of fat-resident macrophages. Adipocytes also exert direct antimicrobial responses. In recent years, it has been found that memory T cells accumulate in AT, where they provide efficient secondary responses against viral pathogens. These observations have prompted researchers to re-evaluate the links between obesity and susceptibility to infections. In contrast, AT serves as a reservoir for several persistence pathogens, such as human adenovirus Ad-36,
,
, influenza A virus, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The presence and persistence of bacterial DNA in AT has led to the concept of a tissue-specific microbiota. The unexpected coexistence of immune cells and pathogens within the specific AT environment is intriguing, and its impact on anti-infectious immune responses requires further evaluation. AT has been recently identified as a site of HIV persistence. In the context of HIV infection, AT is targeted by both the virus and the antiretroviral drugs. AT's intrinsic metabolic features, large overall mass, and wide distribution make it a major tissue reservoir, and one that may contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic HIV infections. Here, we review the immune, metabolic, viral, and pharmacological aspects that contribute to HIV persistence in AT. We also evaluate the respective impacts of both intrinsic and HIV-induced factors on AT's involvement as a viral reservoir. Lastly, we examine the potential consequences of HIV persistence on the metabolic and immune activities of AT.
White adipose tissue (AT) contributes significantly to inflammation – especially in the context of obesity. Several of AT’s intrinsic features favor its key role in local and systemic inflammation: ...(i) large distribution throughout the body, (ii) major endocrine activity, and (iii) presence of metabolic and immune cells in close proximity. In obesity, the concomitant pro-inflammatory signals produced by immune cells, adipocytes and adipose stem cells help to drive local inflammation in a vicious circle. Although the secretion of adipokines by AT is a prime contributor to systemic inflammation, the lipotoxicity associated with AT dysfunction might also be involved and could affect distant organs. In HIV-infected patients, the AT is targeted by both HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART). During the primary phase of infection, the virus targets AT directly (by infecting AT CD4 T cells) and indirectly (via viral protein release, inflammatory signals, and gut disruption). The initiation of ART drastically changes the picture: ART reduces viral load, restores (at least partially) the CD4 T cell count, and dampens inflammatory processes on the whole-body level but also within the AT. However, ART induces AT dysfunction and metabolic side effects, which are highly dependent on the individual molecules and the combination used. First generation thymidine reverse transcriptase inhibitors predominantly target mitochondrial DNA and induce oxidative stress and adipocyte death. Protease inhibitors predominantly affect metabolic pathways (affecting adipogenesis and adipocyte homeostasis) resulting in insulin resistance. Recently marketed integrase strand transfer inhibitors induce both adipocyte adipogenesis, hypertrophy and fibrosis. It is challenging to distinguish between the respective effects of viral persistence, persistent immune defects and ART toxicity on the inflammatory profile present in ART-controlled HIV-infected patients. The host metabolic status, the size of the pre-established viral reservoir, the quality of the immune restoration, and the natural ageing with associated comorbidities may mitigate and/or reinforce the contribution of antiretrovirals (ARVs) toxicity to the development of low-grade inflammation in HIV-infected patients. Protecting AT functions appears highly relevant in ART-controlled HIV-infected patients. It requires lifestyle habits improvement in the absence of effective anti-inflammatory treatment. Besides, reducing ART toxicities remains a crucial therapeutic goal.
IL-6 has emerged as an important cytokine upregulated in states of insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the chronic effect of IL-6 on insulin signaling in 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 ...adipocytes. First, cells responded to a chronic treatment with IL-6 by initiating an autoactivation process that increased IL-6 secretion. Second, IL-6-treated adipocytes showed a decreased protein expression of IR-β subunit and IRS-1 but also an inhibition of the insulin-induced activation of IR-β, Akt/PKB, and ERK1/2. Moreover, IL-6 suppressed the insulin-induced lipogenesis and glucose transport consistent with a diminished expression of GLUT4. IL-6-treated adipocytes failed to maintain their adipocyte phenotype as shown by the downregulation of the adipogenic markers FAS, GAPDH, aP2, PPAR-γ, and C/EBP-α. IL-6 also induced the expression of SOCS-3, a potential inhibitor of insulin signaling. Finally, the effects of IL-6 could be prevented by rosiglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing agent. Thus, IL-6 may play an important role in the set-up of insulin resistance in adipose cell.
For people living with HIV, treatment with integrase-strand-transfer-inhibitors (INSTIs) can promote adipose tissue (AT) gain. We previously demonstrated that INSTIs can induce hypertrophy and ...fibrosis in AT of macaques and humans. By promoting energy expenditure, the emergence of beige adipocytes in white AT (beiging) could play an important role by limiting excess lipid storage and associated adipocyte dysfunction. We hypothesized that INSTIs could alter AT via beiging inhibition. Fibrosis and gene expression were measured in subcutaneous (SCAT) and visceral AT (VAT) from SIV-infected, dolutegravir-treated (SIVART) macaques. Beiging capacity was assessed in human adipose stromal cells (ASCs) undergoing differentiation and being exposed to dolutegravir, bictegravir, or raltegravir. Expression of beige markers, such as positive-regulatory-domain-containing-16 (PRDM16), were lower in AT of SIVART as compared to control macaques, whereas fibrosis-related genes were higher. Dolutegravir and bictegravir inhibited beige differentiation in ASCs, as shown by lower expression of beige markers and lower cell respiration. INSTIs also induced a hypertrophic insulin-resistant state associated with a pro-fibrotic phenotype. Our results indicate that adipocyte hypertrophy induced by INSTIs is involved via hypoxia (revealed by a greater hypoxia-inducible-factor-1-alpha gene expression) in fat fibrosis, beiging inhibition, and thus (via positive feedback), probably, further hypertrophy and associated insulin resistance.
Aging is characterized by adipose tissue senescence, inflammation, and fibrosis, with trunk fat accumulation. Aging HIV-infected patients have a higher risk of trunk fat accumulation than uninfected ...individuals-suggesting that viral infection has a role in adipose tissue aging. We previously demonstrated that HIV/SIV infection and the Tat and Nef viral proteins were responsible for adipose tissue fibrosis and impaired adipogenesis. We hypothesized that SIV/HIV infection and viral proteins could induce adipose tissue senescence and thus lead to adipocyte dysfunctions.
Features of tissue senescence were evaluated in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues of SIV-infected macaques and in human adipose stem cells (ASCs) exposed to Tat or Nef for up to 30 days.
p16 expression and p53 activation were higher in adipose tissue of SIV-infected macaques than in control macaques, indicating adipose tissue senescence. Tat and Nef induced higher senescence in ASCs, characterized by higher levels of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity, p16 expression, and p53 activation vs. control cells. Treatment with Tat and Nef also induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Prevention of oxidative stress (using N-acetyl-cysteine) reduced senescence in ASCs. Adipocytes having differentiated from Nef-treated ASCs displayed alterations in adipogenesis with lower levels of triglyceride accumulation and adipocyte marker expression and secretion, and insulin resistance.
HIV/SIV promotes adipose tissue senescence, which in turn may alter adipocyte function and contribute to insulin resistance.
Dact1 , a Nutritionally Regulated Preadipocyte Gene, Controls Adipogenesis by Coordinating the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Network
Claire Lagathu 1 ,
Constantinos Christodoulides 1 ,
Sam Virtue 1 ,
...William P. Cawthorn 1 ,
Chiara Franzin 1 ,
Wendy A. Kimber 1 ,
Edoardo Dalla Nora 1 ,
Mark Campbell 1 ,
Gema Medina-Gomez 1 ,
Benjamin N.R. Cheyette 2 ,
Antonio J. Vidal-Puig 1 and
Jaswinder K. Sethi 1
1 Institute of Metabolic Science–Metabolic Research Laboratories and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge,
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, U.K
2 Department of Psychiatry and Graduate Programs in Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco,
California
Corresponding author: Jaswinder K. Sethi, jks30{at}cam.ac.uk , or Antonio J. Vidal-Puig, ajv22{at}cam.ac.uk
Abstract
OBJECTIVE— Wnt signaling inhibits adipogenesis, but its regulation, physiological relevance, and molecular effectors are poorly understood.
Here, we identify the Wnt modulator Dapper1/Frodo1 ( Dact1 ) as a new preadipocyte gene involved in the regulation of murine and human adipogenesis.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— Changes in Dact1 expression were investigated in three in vitro models of adipogenesis. In vitro gain- and loss-of-function studies were used
to investigate the mechanism of Dact1 action during adipogenesis. The in vivo regulation of Dact1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling were investigated in murine models of altered nutritional status, of pharmacological stimulation
of in vivo adipogenesis, and during the development of dietary and genetic obesity.
RESULTS— Dact1 is a preadipocyte gene that decreases during adipogenesis. However, Dact1 knockdown impairs adipogenesis through activation
of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and this is reversed by treatment with the secreted Wnt antagonist, secreted Frizzled-related
protein 1 (Sfrp1). In contrast, constitutive Dact1 overexpression promotes adipogenesis and confers resistance to Wnt ligand-induced
antiadipogenesis through increased expression of endogenous Sfrps and reduced expression of Wnts. In vivo, in white adipose
tissue, Dact1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling also exhibit coordinated expression profiles in response to altered nutritional status, in response
to pharmacological stimulation of in vivo adipogenesis, and during the development of dietary and genetic obesity.
CONCLUSIONS— Dact1 regulates adipogenesis through coordinated effects on gene expression that selectively alter intracellular and paracrine/autocrine
components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These novel insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling adipose
tissue plasticity provide a functional network with therapeutic potential against diseases, such as obesity and associated
metabolic disorders.
Footnotes
C.C. is currently affiliated with the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, U.K.
Published ahead of print at http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org on 10 December 2008.
C.L. and C.C. contributed equally to this work
Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work
is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore
be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Accepted November 26, 2008.
Received August 27, 2008.
DIABETES
During chronic SIV/HIV infection, adipose tissue (AT) is the target of both antiretroviral treatment (ART) and the virus. AT might subsequently contribute to the low-grade systemic inflammation ...observed in patients on ART. To evaluate the inflammatory profile of AT during chronic SIV/HIV infection, we assayed subcutaneous and visceral abdominal AT from non-infected (SIV-, control), ART-naïve SIV-infected (SIV+) and ART-controlled SIV-infected (SIV+ART+) cynomolgus macaques for the mRNA expression of genes coding for factors related to inflammation. Significant differences were observed only when comparing the SIV+ART+ group with the SIV+ and/or SIV- groups. ART-treated infection impacted the metabolic fraction (with elevated expression of PPARγ and CEBPα), the extracellular matrix (with elevated expression of COL1A2 and HIF-1α), and the inflammatory profile. Both pro- and anti-inflammatory signatures were detected in AT, with greater mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory markers (adiponectin and CD163) and markers associated with inflammation (TNF-α, Mx1, CCL5 and CX3CL1). There were no intergroup differences in other markers (IL-6 and MCP-1). In conclusion, we observed marked differences in the immune and metabolic profiles of AT in the context of an ART-treated, chronic SIV infection; these differences were related more to ART than to SIV infection
.