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- Cansby, Emmelie, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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STK25 Regulates Cardiovascular Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Hypercholesterolemia
- 2018
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Ingår i: Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1079-5642 .- 1524-4636. ; 38:8, s. 1723-1737
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Recent cohort studies have shown that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), associate with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, independently of conventional cardiometabolic risk factors. However, the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiological link between NAFLD/NASH and cardiovascular disease still remain unclear. Our previous studies have identified STK25 (serine/threonine protein kinase 25) as a critical determinant in ectopic lipid storage, meta-inflammation, and progression of NAFLD/NASH. The aim of this study was to assess whether STK25 is also one of the mediators in the complex molecular network controlling the cardiovascular disease risk. Approach and Results Atherosclerosis was induced in Stk25 knockout and transgenic mice, and their wild-type littermates, by gene transfer of gain-of-function mutant of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), which induces the downregulation of hepatic LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor), combined with an atherogenic western-type diet. We found that Stk25(-/-) mice displayed reduced atherosclerosis lesion area as well as decreased lipid accumulation, macrophage infiltration, collagen formation, and oxidative stress in aortic lesions compared with wild-type littermates, independently from alterations in dyslipidemia. Reciprocally, Stk25 transgenic mice presented aggravated plaque formation and maturation compared with wild-type littermates despite similar levels of fasting plasma cholesterol. We also found that STK25 protein was expressed in all layers of the aorta, suggesting a possible direct role in cardiovascular disease. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence that STK25 plays a critical role in regulation of cardiovascular disease risk and suggests that pharmacological inhibition of STK25 function may provide new possibilities for prevention/treatment of atherosclerosis.
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- Amrutkar, Manoj, et al.
(författare)
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Protein kinase STK25 controls lipid partitioning in hepatocytes and correlates with liver fat content in humans
- 2016
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Ingår i: Diabetologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0012-186X .- 1432-0428. ; 59:2, s. 341-353
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims/hypothesis Type 2 diabetes is closely associated with pathological lipid accumulation in the liver, which is suggested to actively contribute to the development of insulin resistance. We recently identified serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25) as a regulator of liver steatosis, whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in a mouse model system. The aim of this study was to assess the role of STK25 in the control of lipid metabolism in human liver. Methods Intracellular fat deposition, lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity were studied in immortalised human hepatocytes (IHHs) and HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells in which STK25 was overexpressed or knocked down by small interfering RNA. The association between STK25 mRNA expression in human liver biopsies and hepatic fat content was analysed. Results Overexpression of STK25 in IHH and HepG2 cells enhanced lipid deposition by suppressing beta-oxidation and triacylglycerol (TAG) secretion, while increasing lipid synthesis. Conversely, knockdown of STK25 attenuated lipid accumulation by stimulating beta-oxidation and TAG secretion, while inhibiting lipid synthesis. Furthermore, TAG hydrolase activity was repressed in hepatocytes overexpressing STK25 and reciprocally increased in cells with STK25 knockdown. Insulin sensitivity was reduced in STK25-overexpressing cells and enhanced in STK25-deficient hepatocytes. We also found a statistically significant positive correlation between STK25 mRNA expression in human liver biopsies and hepatic fat content. Conclusions/interpretation Our data suggest that STK25 regulates lipid partitioning in human liver cells by controlling TAG synthesis as well as lipolytic activity and thereby NEFA release from lipid droplets for beta-oxidation and TAG secretion. Our findings highlight STK25 as a potential drug target for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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- Caputo, Mara, et al.
(författare)
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Silencing of STE20-type kinase MST3 in mice with antisense oligonucleotide treatment ameliorates diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- 2021
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Ingår i: FASEB Journal. - 0892-6638. ; 35:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Despite intensive nonclinical and clinical research in this field, no specific pharmacological therapy is currently approved to treat NAFLD, which has been recognized as one of the major unmet medical needs of the 21st century. Our recent studies have identified STE20-type kinase MST3, which localizes to intracellular lipid droplets, as a critical regulator of ectopic fat accumulation in human hepatocytes. Here, we explored whether treatment with Mst3-targeting antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) can promote hepatic lipid clearance and mitigate NAFLD progression in mice in the context of obesity. We found that administration of Mst3-targeting ASOs in mice effectively ameliorated the full spectrum of high-fat diet-induced NAFLD including liver steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular damage. Mechanistically, Mst3 ASOs suppressed lipogenic gene expression, as well as acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) protein abundance, and substantially reduced lipotoxicity-mediated oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress in the livers of obese mice. Furthermore, we found that MST3 protein levels correlated positively with the severity of NAFLD in human liver biopsies. In summary, this study provides the first in vivo evidence that antagonizing MST3 signaling is sufficient to mitigate NAFLD progression in conditions of excess dietary fuels and warrants future investigations to assess whether MST3 inhibitors may provide a new strategy for the treatment of patients with NAFLD.
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- Caputo, Mara, et al.
(författare)
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STE20-Type Protein Kinase MST4 Controls NAFLD Progression by Regulating Lipid Droplet Dynamics and Metabolic Stress in Hepatocytes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Hepatology Communications. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 2471-254X. ; 5:7, s. 1183-1200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, primarily because of the massive global increase in obesity. Despite intense research efforts in this field, the factors that govern the initiation and subsequent progression of NAFLD are poorly understood, which hampers the development of diagnostic tools and effective therapies in this area of high unmet medical need. Here we describe a regulator in molecular pathogenesis of NAFLD: STE20-type protein kinase MST4. We found that MST4 expression in human liver biopsies was positively correlated with the key features of NAFLD (i.e., hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocellular ballooning). Furthermore, the silencing of MST4 attenuated lipid accumulation in human hepatocytes by stimulating beta-oxidation and triacylglycerol secretion, while inhibiting fatty acid influx and lipid synthesis. Conversely, overexpression of MST4 in human hepatocytes exacerbated fat deposition by suppressing mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and triacylglycerol efflux, while enhancing lipogenesis. In parallel to these reciprocal alterations in lipid storage, we detected substantially decreased or aggravated oxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress in human hepatocytes with reduced or increased MST4 levels, respectively. Interestingly, MST4 protein was predominantly associated with intracellular lipid droplets in both human and rodent hepatocytes. Conclusion: Together, our results suggest that hepatic lipid droplet-decorating protein MST4 is a critical regulatory node governing susceptibility to NAFLD and warrant future investigations to address the therapeutic potential of MST4 antagonism as a strategy to prevent or mitigate the development and aggravation of this disease.
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- Nerstedt, Annika, 1960, et al.
(författare)
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Serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25): a novel negative regulator of lipid and glucose metabolism in rodent and human skeletal muscle
- 2012
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Ingår i: Diabetologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0012-186X .- 1432-0428. ; 55:6, s. 1797-1807
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates the role of serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25), a member of the sterile 20 (STE20) superfamily of kinases, in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. The effect of depleting STK25 in muscle cells was studied by reducing the mRNA and protein content of this target in the rat myoblast cell line L6 by small interfering (si)RNA. The changes in the mRNA and protein levels of several members of the fatty acid oxidative and glucose metabolic pathways were measured by quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR and western blot. The rate of palmitate oxidation and glucose uptake was measured after transfection with siRNA for . Expression of was also evaluated in skeletal muscle biopsies from 41 white Europid men and women with normal and impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes using qRT-PCR. We demonstrate that partial depletion of STK25 increases the expression of uncoupling protein 3 (, accompanied by increased lipid oxidation, in myoblasts. In addition, a reduced level of STK25 enhances the expression of (also known as ), (also known as ) and hexokinase 2, and correspondingly, improves insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscle cells. Consistent with these results, significantly higher levels were observed in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic patients, compared with individuals with normal glucose tolerance. This is the first study indicating a possible role for STK25 in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in L6 myoblasts. This kinase appears to be an interesting new mediator to be evaluated for therapeutic intervention in type 2 diabetes and related complications, as controlled increase in lipid oxidation and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is favourable and can restore energy balance in metabolically compromised states.
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- Cansby, Emmelie, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Depletion of protein kinase STK25 ameliorates renal lipotoxicity and protects against diabetic kidney disease.
- 2020
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Ingår i: JCI insight. - : American Society for Clinical Investigation. - 2379-3708. ; 5:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of severe renal disease worldwide and the single strongest predictor of mortality in diabetes patients. Kidney steatosis has emerged as a critical trigger in the pathogenesis of DKD; however, the molecular mechanism of renal lipotoxicity remains largely unknown. Our recent studies in genetic mouse models, human cell lines, and well-characterized patient cohorts have identified serine/threonine protein kinase (STK)25 as a critical regulator of ectopic lipid storage in several metabolic organs prone to diabetic damage. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of STK25 aggravates renal lipid accumulation and exacerbates structural and functional kidney injury in a mouse model of DKD. Reciprocally, inhibiting STK25 signaling in mice ameliorates diet-induced renal steatosis and alleviates the development of DKD-associated pathologies. Further, we find that STK25 silencing in human kidney cells protects against lipid deposition as well as oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Together, our results suggest that STK25 regulates a critical node governing susceptibility to renal lipotoxicity and that STK25 antagonism could mitigate DKD progression.
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