1. |
- Paul, A., et al.
(author)
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Quantitative Mapping of Triacylglycerol Chain Length and Saturation Using Broadband CARS Microscopy
- 2019
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In: Biophysical Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-3495. ; 116:12, s. 2346-2355
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lipid droplets (LDs), present in many cell types, are highly dynamic organelles that store neutral lipids, primarily triacylglycerols (TAGs). With the discovery of new LD functions (e.g., in immune response, protein clearage, and occurrence with disease), new methods to study LD chemical composition in situ are necessary. We present an approach for in situ, quantitative TAG analysis using label-free, coherent Raman microscopy that allows deciphering LD TAG composition in different biochemically complex samples with submicrometer spatial resolution. Employing a set of standard TAGs, we generate a spectral training matrix capturing the variation caused in Raman-like spectra by TAG backbone, chain length, and number of double bonds per chain, as well as the presence of proteins or other diluting molecules. Comparing our fitting approach to gas chromatography measurements for mixtures of standard TAGs and food oils, we find the root mean-square error for the prediction of TAG chemistry to be 0.69 CH2 and 0.15 #C=C. When progressing to more complex samples such as oil emulsions and LDs in various eukaryotic cells, we find good agreement with bulk gas chromatography measurements. For differentiated adipocytes, we find a significant increase in the number of double bonds in small LDs (below 2 mu m in diameter) compared to large LDs (above 2 mu m in diameter). Coupled with a relatively limited sample preparation requirement, this approach should enable rapid and accurate TAG LD analysis for a variety of cell biology and technological applications.
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2. |
- Rajan, M. R., et al.
(author)
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Inhibition of FOXO1 transcription factor in primary human adipocytes mimics the insulin-resistant state of type 2 diabetes
- 2018
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In: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press Ltd.. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 475:10, s. 1807-1820
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance in the expanding adipose tissue of obesity. The insulin resistance manifests in human adipocytes as system-wide impairment of insulin signalling. An exception is the regulation of transcription factor FOXO1 (forkhead box protein O1), which is phosphorylated downstream of mTORC2 (mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin in complex with raptor) and is therefore not exhibiting impaired response to insulin. However, the abundance, and activity, of FOXO1 is reduced by half in adipocytes from patients with diabetes. To elucidate the effect of reduced FOXO1 activity, we here transduced human adipocytes with a dominant-negative construct of FOXO1 (DN-FOXO1). Inhibition of FOXO1 reduced the abundance of insulin receptor, glucose transporter-4, ribosomal protein S6, mTOR and raptor. Functionally, inhibition of FOXO1 induced an insulin-resistant state network-wide, a state that qualitatively and quantitatively mimicked adipocytes from patients with type 2 diabetes. In contrast, and in accordance with these effects of DN-FOXO1, overexpression of wild-type FOXO1 appeared to augment insulin signalling. We combined experimental data with mathematical modelling to show that the impaired insulin signalling in FOXO1-inhibited cells to a large extent can be explained by reduced mTORC1 activity - a mechanism that defines much of the diabetic state in human adipocytes. Our findings demonstrate that FOXO1 is critical for maintaining normal insulin signalling of human adipocytes.
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