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Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 12 4928-4935
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

An in Vivo Model for Elucidation of the Mechanism of Tumor Necrosis Factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha})-Induced Insulin Resistance: Evidence for Differential Regulation of Insulin Signaling by TNF-{alpha}

Anthony T. Cheung1, Daniel Ree2, Jay K. Kolls3, Joseph Fuselier, David H. Coy and Michael Bryer-Ash4

Departments of Physiology (A.T.C.) and Medicine (J.F. and D.H.C.), Tulane University and Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University (J.K.K.), New Orleans, Louisiana; and Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee and Research Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center (D.R., M.B.A.), Memphis, Tennessee 38104

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Michael Bryer-Ash, Department of Medicine-Room 340M, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, 951 Court Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38163. E-mail: mbryerash{at}utmem1.utmem.edu


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) has been shown to induce insulin resistance in cultured cells as well as in animal models. The aim of this study was to map the in vivo mechanism whereby TNF-{alpha} contributes to the pathogenesis of impaired insulin signaling, using obese and lean Zucker rats in which TNF-{alpha} activity was inhibited through adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. We employed a replication-incompetent adenovirus-5 (Ad5) vector to endogenously express a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) gene, which encodes a chimeric protein consisting of the extracellular domain of the human 55-kDa TNF receptor joined to a mouse IgG heavy chain. Control animals consisted of rats infected with the same titer of adenovirus carrying the lac-z complementary DNA, encoding for ß-galactosidase. There was a significant reduction in plasma insulin and free fatty acid levels in TNFi obese rats 2 days following Ad5 administration. The peripheral insulin sensitivity index was 50% greater, whereas hepatic glucose output was completely suppressed during hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps in TNFi obese animals, with no differences observed between the two lean groups. The improvement in peripheral and hepatic sensitivity to insulin seen in the obese animals was independent of insulin receptor (IR) number and insulin binding affinity for IR. However, TNF-{alpha} neutralization led to a 2.5-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of IR in skeletal muscle, whereas this was unchanged in liver. There was also a 4-fold increase in particulate protein tyrosine phosphatase activity of skeletal muscle in TNFi obese animals vs. ß-galactosidase controls, whereas protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in liver was unchanged. These results suggest that TNF-{alpha} is a mediator of insulin resistance in obesity and may modulate IR signaling in skeletal muscle and liver through different pathways. TNF-{alpha} may affect insulin action in the liver either at sites distal to the IR or indirectly, possibly because of increased provision of gluconeogenic substrates or altered counterregulation. In addition, the Ad5-mediated gene delivery system employed here provides an in vivo model that is efficient and economical for exploring mechanisms involved in TNF-{alpha}-induced insulin resistance in various genetic models of obesity-linked diabetes. is unclear, but the hyperglycemia that is its final clinical expression results from a combination of insulin resistance in important metabolic target tissues such as liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, as well as a relative or absolute insulin secretory defect at the level of the pancreatic ß-cell (1). The precise cause of insulin resistance is yet to be determined, but its association with obesity has long been established (2). Numerous recent data have implicated tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) as a link between insulin resistance and obesity (3–5). However, the mechanism(s) whereby TNF-{alpha} attenuates insulin action in obese individuals is not well understood. Attempts have been made to delineate the cellular mechanism involved using in vitro systems, but these have yet to be studied in detail in intact animals. Given the complexity of glucose homeostasis and the fact that the pathogenesis of insulin resistance involves multiple organs, an obese insulin-resistant animal model of DM devoid of TNF-{alpha} activity would be most valuable in elucidating how TNF-{alpha} induces insulin resistance.

The objective of this project was to further investigate the in vivo cellular mechanism(s) whereby TNF-{alpha} contributes to the pathogenesis of impaired insulin signal transduction in obesity and DM2 using obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) in which effective blockade of TNF-{alpha} activity has been achieved through adenovirus 5 (Ad5)-mediated gene transfer. We show that TNF-{alpha} inhibition improves both hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in vivo, and that both tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR) and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity in skeletal muscle were increased during glucose clamps, whereas in the liver they were unchanged. This implies that TNF-{alpha} may exert its effects on skeletal muscle and liver through different mechanisms.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Generation and propagation of recombinant adenovirus
The TNF inhibitor (TNFi) complementary DNA was subcloned into the pC cytomegalovirus (CMV) plasmid, which contains 1.3 map units of sequence taken from the left end of the Ad5 genome, the CMV early promoter, and the pUC19 cloning site, followed by the SV40 splice and poly(A) signal sequences and map units 9–17 of the Ad5 genome. The recombinant pCCMV plasmid was cotransfected into the 293 packaging cell line with the pJM17 plasmid, which carries genomic Ad5 DNA, and mature recombinant Ad5 was generated after homologous recombination between the two plasmids had occurred in vivo. Ad5 was propagated and purified as previously described (6).

Administration of replication-incompetent recombinant adenovirus to Zucker rats
The study was approved by the Animal Research and Use Committee of Tulane University and the Subcommittee on Animal Studies of the Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Center. Seven-week-old obese fa/fa or lean Zucker rats (Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, or Harlan Sprague Dawley, Inc., Indianapolis, IN) were infected with 109 plaque-forming units of recombinant Ad5 carrying TNFi complementary DNA (Ad5-TNFi) or the lac-z gene, which encodes for ß-galactosidase (Ad5-ß-gal). Under brief isofluorane inhalational anesthesia, 109 plaque-forming units of virus in 30 µl PBS was delivered via the tail vein. Infected rats were housed individually and weighed daily. Rats from the control groups were infected with same titer of Ad5-ß-gal.

Measurement of TNF-{alpha} inhibitory activity
Plasma TNFi activity was assayed 4 days after Ad5 injection according to a previously described technique (7). Briefly, serum samples were serially diluted and 1 µl of each dilution was incubated in separate wells of a 96-well plate with 1.0 ng/ml murine TNF-{alpha} for 1 h at 37 C, in the presence of 100 µg/ml cyclohexamide; 7 x 104 SKMEL-109 cells were then added to each well and incubated overnight. The next morning, cells were washed and stained with crystal violet. The cell-bound dye was then solubilized in acetic acid and quantified at OD490 nm. The number of neutralizing units was calculated as the reciprocal dilution that completely prevented the TNF-{alpha}-mediated cytotoxicity.

Analytical methods of plasma samples
Tail-nick blood samples were taken in the mid-afternoon into microfuge tubes containing a solution of 1.0 mM EDTA in final dilution and spun, and the separated plasma was frozen at -70 C until use. Both free fatty acids and lactate were measured by enzymatic colorimetric assay kits (Boehringer Mannheim Corp., Indianapolis, IN and Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, respectively). Insulin was measured by a double antibody-coated tube RIA kit for rat insulin with 100% cross-reactivity with human insulin (Linco Research, Inc., St. Charles, MO). Plasma glucose was measured by glucose oxidase methodology for microsamples using a One-Touch Profile glucose meter (Lifescan, Inc., Milpitas, CA). For determination of d-3[H]3-glucose concentrations, serum was diluted 1:4 with water and then added to an equal volume of perchloric acid, with a final concentration of 2.5%. Proteins were precipitated by centrifugation at 2000 x g for 10 min. Aliquots of supernatant were then dehydrated for 6 h at 55 C and counted in a ß-scintillation counter.

Hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps
Four days after Ad5 injection, animals were clamped according to a previously described method (8). Briefly, overnight fasted rats were anesthetized with ketamine/xylazine (60/6·mg-1·kg-1 ip) and then underwent tracheostomy and cannulation of the internal jugular vein and common carotid artery. After approximately 90 min, a booster of 10–15% of the original dose was given if necessary to maintain anesthesia. During the first 20 min after surgery, baseline serum glucose measurements were obtained. A loading dose of regular insulin of 3, 2, and 1.5 times the steady state infusion rate was then administered iv via the jugular vein over the first, second, and third minutes, respectively, followed by a constant infusion of insulin at 70 pmol·kg-1·min-1. 3[H]-3-glucose was infused simultaneously at 0.09 µCi/min, after an initial 100x square-wave bolus over 1 min for isotopic determination of glucose utilization as described by Steele (9); 20% dextrose was infused as needed to maintain serum glucose at basal concentrations. Somatostatin 1–14 (Sigma Chemical Co.) was infused at 920 pmol·kg-1·min-1 after basal measurements throughout the clamp to suppress endogenous insulin output, as previously described (8). When steady state glucose requirements had been achieved, as determined by a <10% fluctuation in glucose requirements for the maintenance of basal glucose over at least 15 min (attained after ~90 min), 200 µl of blood was withdrawn at three 10-min intervals for determination of steady state serum glucose, insulin levels, and tracer dilution for quantification of glucose disposal rate (Rd) and hepatic glucose output (HGO). Liver and rectus muscle were exposed and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Animals were then killed in a CO2 chamber. In a subsequent set of clamp studies on lean animals, ip sodium pentobarbital anesthesia (45 mg/kg) was employed.

Isolation of IR and measurement of insulin binding
Muscle and liver tissues were homogenized with a Polytron (Brinkmann Instruments, Inc.) and solubilized in the presence of 1.5% Triton X-100, 5 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaF, 10 mM Na3VO4, 10 mM Na4P2O7, and various protease inhibitors (8). The tissue homogenate was centrifuged at 100,000 x g. IR were purified from the supernatant by wheat germ affinity column chromatography. Receptors were eluted with 0.3 M N-acetyl glucosamine, and protein quantified according to the Bradford dye method (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.). Samples were stored at -80 C until further use. Duplicate receptor preparations were then diluted to 0.3 mg/ml eluate protein and added to 0.5 ng/ml of A14-[125I]monoiodoinsulin and increasing concentrations of unlabeled insulin. Following 12–15 h of incubation at 4 C, ligand-receptor complexes were precipitated by polyethylene glycol and {gamma}-globulin. Counts in pellets with 5000 ng/ml of unlabeled insulin were subtracted as nonspecific binding.

Analysis of IR tyrosine phosphorylation
Two milligrams of protein extract from various tissues was incubated with 1.5 µg anti-IR antibody (29B4, Oncogene Science, Inc., Cambridge, MA) and agarose-conjugated protein G (Pierce, Rockford, IL) at 4 C overnight. The immunoprecipitates were then washed extensively in a buffer containing 50 mM HEPES, 100 mM Na4P2O7, 100 mM NaF, 10 mM EDTA, 2 mM Na3VO4, 2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), and 0.1 mg/ml aprotinin, boiled in 2x Laemmli buffer, and separated by 7.5% SDS-PAGE. The proteins were then electroblotted to nitrocellulose membranes (Schleicher & Schuell, Inc., Keene, NH) and the membrane was blocked in 5% nonfat dry milk in TBS containing 0.1% Tween-20 and immunoblotted with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antiphosphotyrosine antibody (PY20, Transduction Laboratories, Inc., Lexington, KY). Results were visualized with SuperSignal chemiluminescence kit (Pierce). The membrane was then stripped and reblotted with a rabbit polyclonal antibody specific for the IR ß-subunit and a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antirabbit secondary antibody (C19, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) to determine the amount of IR protein. Quantitation of immunoblots was made with a PDI densitometer and the accompanying Quantity One image analysis software (PDI Imageware Systems, Huntington Way, NY).

Measurement of PTP activity in tissue homogenates
One gram of frozen tissue was homogenized into 10 ml 0.25 M sucrose buffer containing 10 mM Tris-HCl, 0.2 mM MgCl2, 5 mM KCl, 4 mM dithiothreitol, 5 µg/ml leupeptin, 5 µg/ml pepstatin, 1 mM PMSF, 25 mM benzamidine, and 5 µg/ml aprotinin. Cytosolic and particulate fractions were separated by 100,000 x g centrifugation, and the membrane fraction was solubilized in the same buffer containing 1.5% Triton X-100. PTP activity in the particulate fraction was measured with a malachite green microtiter plate assay according to a previously described method (10). The substrate used in this assay is a synthetic diphosphotyrosyl dodecapeptide, TRDIYLTDYC(PO3)Y(PO3)RL, corresponding to residues 1142–1153 of the major phosphorylation site of the human IR (11). The phosphopeptide substrate was synthesized using solid-phase methodology with t-Boc-dibenzyl-tyrosine phosphate, according to Clark-Lewis et al. (12). The mass of the phosphopeptide and the presence of the two phosphotyrosyl residues in the synthetic peptide were determined using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry on a Perkin-Elmer Sciex AP III triple quadrupole instrument (Perkin-Elmer Corp. Sciex, Norwalk, CT). Lyophilized phosphopeptide was redissolved in dH2O, and the dephosphorylation of phosphopeptide substrate was carried out in half-volume 96-well microtiter plates (Costar, Cambridge, MA) in a final volume of 50 µl. The dephosphorylation reaction consisted of 10 mM phosphopeptide and 10 µg soluble particulate protein. The final volume of 50 µl was made up with dephosphorylation buffer (25 mM imidazole, pH 7, 1 mM EDTA, 0.1% 2-mercaptoethanol, 2 mM MgCl2, 2 mM PMSF, 1 mg/ml leupeptin, 0.1 mM benzamidine, and 0.25 M sucrose). The reaction was allowed to proceed for 6 min at 30 C. One hundred microliters of malachite green solution was added to terminate the reaction, which was then further incubated for 20 min at room temperature to allow for color development. The plate was then read at OD650 nm by the ThermoMax microplate reader (Molecular Devices, Menlo Park, CA). The amount of inorganic phosphate released was quantified by extrapolation from the malachite green standard curve, generated using KH2PO4.

Statistical analysis
All statistical comparisons were conducted using Student’s t test for paired or unpaired samples as appropriate. Data are reported as mean ± SEM.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Circulating TNF-{alpha} inhibitory activity in experimental animals
To determine whether the virus produced bioactive inhibitor in vivo, we measured TNFi activity in rat plasma of the obese group at the time of clamp studies (4 days after infection with Ad5). In rats infected with the Ad5-TNFi, plasma levels of TNF inhibitory activity were significantly higher than in the control group, in which such activity was negligible (TNFi = 23.0 ± 4.0 and ß-gal = 0.5 ± 0.1 inhibitory units ± SEM, P < 0.001).

Characteristics of rats and plasma levels of metabolic variables
Basal weights and weight gain were matched within the two lean and two obese groups, but were significantly different from each other at all time points (Table 1Go). Blood was taken by tail-nick 1 day before and on days 2 and 4 post-Ad5 administration. Plasma glucose fell in all four groups in the postinjection period in comparison with basal levels, possibly as a result of acclimatization to the brief restraint and the tail-nick procedure. Plasma insulin and plasma free fatty acids showed a tendency to rise in the obese ß-gal group, and this rise was blunted in the TNFi-treated group. When the data were expressed as change in insulin and free fatty acids compared with pretreatment values as shown in Fig. 1Go, both were significantly lower in TNFi than in ß-gal obese animals by day 2 (P < 0.05 in both cases). Although this trend persisted at Day 4, statistical significance was not reached. The same trend was evident for plasma lactate levels, which were unchanged from pretreatment levels in the ß-gal obese rats (Fig. 1CGo), but appeared to reach lower levels in TNFi animals, narrowly failing to achieve significance (P = 0.056) at day 4. None of these variables was significantly altered at any time point in the lean animals.


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Table 1. Characteristics of lean and obese Zucker rats before and after injection of either Ad5-TNFi or Ad5-ßgal (control)

 


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Figure 1. Effects of TNFi or ß-gal on plasma insulin (A), free fatty acids (FFA) (B), and lactate (C) in obese rats on two separate occasions after Ad5 administration shown in comparison with preinjection levels. Assays were performed as described in Materials and Methods; {square}, TNFi and {blacksquare}, ß-gal groups. Insulin = -7.7 ± 4.0% and -3.0 ± 3.0% for TNFi (N = 5); +1.9 ± 1.5% and +4.5 ± 4.4% for ß-gal (N = 5) on days 2 and 4, respectively, vs. preinjection levels. FFA = 90.3 ± 24.7 µM and 87.0 ± 36.5 µM for TNFi (N = 4); 179.1 ± 23.1 µM, and 157.1 ± 64.1 µM for ß-gal (N = 4) on days 2 and 4, respectively, vs. preinjection levels. Lactate = -6.7 ± 4.1 mg/dl and -9.2 ± 3.1 mg/dl for TNFi (N = 5); -2.6 ± 2.1 mg/dl and -1.8 ± 1.1 mg/dl for ß-gal (N = 5) on days 2 and 4, respectively, vs. preinjection levels. *, P < 0.05 vs. ß-gal.

 
Effects of TNF neutralization on peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity
We measured the effects of TNF blockade on whole body insulin sensitivity in both lean and obese rats 4 days after Ad5 administration, using hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps in combination with the isotope dilution method. The fourth day was chosen because in previous reports using an IgG-linked TNF inhibitory protein (3, 4, 13), clamp, or other metabolic studies were performed after 3 days of treatment. We previously showed that TNFi levels reach maximal on the second day postinjection and are stably sustained for at least 21 days thereafter (14). Under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia, the obese animals were initially hyperglycemic and were therefore clamped to the measured basal glucose concentration following induction of anesthesia. The subsequent clamp studies on the lean animals were therefore performed under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia.

Serum insulin concentration at steady state during clamps was TNFi = 565 ± 14 pM and ß-gal = 633 ± 5 pM in the obese rats. Corresponding values for glucose disposal (Rd) were 3.2 ± 0.3 and 2.4 ± 0.1 mmol·kg-1·h-1 (9.6 ± 0.8 and 7.2 ± 0.4 mg·kg-1·min-1), respectively (P < 0.05). To account for the modestly, but statistically significantly, higher steady state mean serum insulin level in the ß-gal rats, the Rd data are presented using the insulin sensitivity index (ISI) as shown in Fig. 2Go, which also illustrates HGO. The peripheral insulin sensitivity of the obese TNF-neutralized rats was thus significantly greater than ß-gal controls, with a 50% higher ISI (P < 0.02). In addition, neutralization of TNF in fa/fa rats also resulted in marked improvement of hepatic insulin sensitivity as shown by the complete suppression of HGO at steady state (Fig. 2Go). Among the lean animals, there was no difference in ISI (6.0 ± 1.0 vs. 6.8 ± 0.5 mmol-kg-1·h-1 nM, P = NS) or HGO (-2.5 ± 0.4 vs. -3.0 ± 0.4 mmol·kg-1·h-1, P = NS) between the TNFi and ß-gal-treated groups, respectively. TNF neutralization in the obese rats resulted in an ISI during glucose clamps that was similar to that in lean control rats (obese TNFi = 5.7 ± 0.5 vs. lean ß-gal = 6.8 ± 0.5 mmol·kg-1·h-1 nM, P = NS).



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Figure 2. Effects of TNFi protein expression on ISI and HGO at steady state during glucose clamps in fa/fa rats. ISI was determined as described in Materials and Methods. Error bars represent SEM, n = 4 in each group. ISI = 5.7 ± 0.5 vs. 3.8 ± 0.3 mmol·kg-1·h-1· nM; HGO = -0.3 ± 0.3 vs. 1.1 ± 0.4 mmol·kg-1·h-1, *, P < 0.02; **, P < 0.005 vs. ß-gal.

 
Effects of endogenous TNFi expression on IR number and insulin binding affinity of IR
To elucidate the possible molecular mechanism of these effects of TNF blockade, IR number and insulin binding affinity were measured. Scatchard analysis was used to determine mean IR number in preparations from TNFi-treated and control animals. Overall mean IR number was similar in both groups, ranging from 5.2–10.5 pmol IR/mg eluate protein for liver and 1.6 to 3.8 pmol IR/mg for muscle. In addition, there was no difference in the ED50 of unlabeled insulin for displacement of [125I]monoiodoinsulin between TNFi-treated and control groups. ED50 for TNFi vs. control groups was 11.8 ± 0.9 vs. 12.0 ± 1.5 ng/ml (mean ± SEM) and 4.95 ± 0.04 vs. 6.05 ± 1.16 for liver and muscle, respectively (Fig. 3Go).



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Figure 3. Competition curves for wheat germ affinity-purified IR from skeletal muscle (A) and liver (B) of fa/fa rats. Insulin binding was determined as described in Materials and Methods. Data points are mean ± SEM of four animals in each group. Dotted line, Ad5-TNFi group; solid line, Ad5-ß-gal group.

 
Effect of TNF-{alpha} inhibition on IR tyrosine phosphorylation
Tyrosine phosphorylation of the IR is crucial for activating downstream signaling events (15). Therefore, we examined the effects of TNF blockade in obese animals on tyrosine phosphorylation of IR isolated from tissues removed at steady state during hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps, without further exposure of IR to insulin in vitro. When compared with controls, IR autophosphorylation in skeletal muscle from TNF-neutralized animals was increased by 2.5-fold (Fig. 4Go). This is consistent with the increase in insulin- mediated Rd in these animals. However, improvement in tyrosine phosphorylation was not observed in liver IR despite the significant improvement in hepatic insulin sensitivity, shown previously in Fig. 2Go.



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Figure 4. Effects of TNF neutralization on skeletal muscle and liver IR tyrosine phosphorylation (pTyr) stimulated by insulin in vivo during glucose clamps. Upper panel, Immunoblot analysis of IR-pTyr in representative samples from Ad5-TNFi (TNFi)- and Ad5-ß-gal (ß-gal)-infected fa/fa rats. IR were immunoprecipitated from tissue homogenates and blotted with anti-pTyr (pY) and anti-IRß (Protein) antibodies as described in Materials and Methods. Lower panel, Quantitation of pTyr levels of IR from skeletal muscle and liver. Data obtained from densitometric analysis of immunoblots and IR pTyr levels were normalized to corresponding IR amount. n = 4 in each group and each experiment was performed in triplicate. Error bars indicate SEM. Muscle = 96.0 ± 16.0 arbitrary units for TNFi vs. 39.0 ± 14.0 for ß-gal; liver = 43.8 ± 3.0 for TNFi vs. 52.7 ± 3.3 for ß-gal. *, P < 0.05 vs. ß-gal.

 
Effect of TNF-inhibition on particulate PTP activity in tissue homogenates
PTP activity of the particulate fraction of homogenates of liver and skeletal muscle removed at steady state during glucose clamps was determined against a synthetic diphosphotyrosyl phosphopeptide corresponding to residues 1142–1153 of the human IR. These data are shown in Fig. 5Go. In the TNFi-treated obese animals, there was an approximately 4-fold higher PTP activity in the particulate fraction of tissue homogenates from skeletal muscle isolated at steady state during glucose clamps compared with ß-gal rats. Conversely, no difference could be shown in PTP activity in homogenates of liver tissue.



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Figure 5. PTP activity measured as inorganic phosphate released from particulate fraction of tissue homogenates from skeletal muscle and liver removed from obese rats at steady state during glucose clamps. Protocol for determination of PTP activity is described in Materials and Methods. Skeletal muscle = 113.6 ± 15.4 pmol PO4 in TNFi and 30.0 ± 8.1 in ß-gal; liver = 48.4 ± 12.0 in TNFi and 54.7 ± 13.0 in ß-gal. n = 4 per group. *, P < 0.005 vs. ß-gal.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Our results demonstrate that the degree of insulin resistance in obesity is markedly reduced following effective blockade of TNF through Ad5-mediated expression of the TNFi gene. In terms of Rd, our findings are similar to most (3, 5), but not all, previously reported data (13) in rodents. However, improvement in insulin-mediated suppression of HGO following TNF-{alpha} inhibition has not been found previously (3, 13). Although chronic administration of TNF-{alpha} led to impairment of insulin action on Rd and HGO in normal rats (16), TNF-{alpha} inhibition by daily iv injection of the soluble TNFi protein in Zucker rats had no effect on HGO (3, 13). A possible explanation for the discrepancy could be the level and consistency of TNFi levels during treatment periods. It has been shown that Ad5-mediated TNFi gene expression provided a sustained high level of soluble circulating TNFi protein in mice (14). Furthermore, TNF inhibitory activity in our TNF-neutralized animals at the time of clamp studies was much higher than the control group, in which no such activity was detectable. To our knowledge, previous similar studies have not measured TNF-inhibitory activity, although Hotamisligil et al. (3) confirmed high levels of circulating TNF receptor-IgG following administration of an IgG-bound TNF-inhibitory protein. However, uniform access to tissue and extracellular fluid compartments of a sizable protein cannot be assumed following exogenous infusion, even when optimal plasma levels are achieved. Thus, discrepancies between our findings and those of others may be caused by fluctuations in tissue concentrations or rapid tissue clearance of TNFi proteins by the host immune response in other animal models, where TNFi proteins were administered exogenously.

We have also shown that TNF-{alpha}-induced insulin resistance in obese Zucker rats is not mediated through reduction of IR number nor insulin binding affinity. Overall, our results indicate that TNF-{alpha} may induce insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and liver through different mechanisms. Apparently, TNF-{alpha} attenuates insulin action in skeletal muscle by down-regulation of both insulin-stimulated IR autophosphorylation and of PTP activity. We and others have reported impaired tissue PTP activity in both obese Zucker rats (17) and obese human subjects with DM2 (18, 19, 20), circumstances in which TNF-{alpha} expression is known to be increased in insulin-responsive tissues (21, 22, 23). Thus it appears that inhibition of TNF-{alpha} is associated with improved insulin signaling, possibly resulting from restoration of impaired PTP activity. Recent data have suggested that PTPs may play a positive regulatory role in insulin signaling. Yamauchi et al. (24) showed that activation of SH-PTP2 occurs in response to insulin binding, and that SH-PTP2 promotes insulin signaling. Furthermore, Ren et al. (25) recently reported that mice rendered deficient in leukocyte-antigen-related-PTP, a transmembrane PTP, by homozygous transgenic knock-out, exhibited insulin resistance during euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps.

It is unclear whether the effects we report here occur as a result of a direct intracellular interaction between the TNF-{alpha} and insulin signaling cascades or secondary to the observed alterations in circulating metabolic influences, e.g. free fatty acids and lactate. Although reduced insulin binding and internalization of IR have been reported after exposure to free fatty acids (26, 27), IR kinase has been shown to be unaffected (26). By contrast, in the liver, TNF-{alpha} appears to either exert its effects at site(s) downstream from the IR or indirectly via alterations in metabolic parameters that do not influence insulin action via the IR kinase, e.g. free fatty acids, gluconeogenic substrates, or glucagon (28, 29). With our animal model, these questions can be investigated in future studies.

Reduction in both circulating free fatty acid and insulin levels in obese Zucker rats has been reported following TNF inhibition by infusion of neutralizing TNF antibodies (4). Following transgenic knock-out of the TNF-{alpha} gene (5), reductions in plasma levels of both insulin and free fatty acids in ligand-deficient mice were only seen when the animals were challenged with a high fat diet. To our knowledge, lactate levels in response to either TNF-{alpha} administration or inhibition have not been studied. In our model, a reduction in circulating insulin and free fatty acids levels was seen in the nonfasting state on a standard rat-chow diet within 2 days of Ad5 injection. It is unclear why this was not sustained at day 4, because profound alterations in both peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity were demonstrable on glucose clamps at this point.

Presently, the mode of action of TNF-{alpha} on insulin-sensitive tissues remains speculative. However, available data favors the likelihood of a paracrine and/or autocrine pathway (30). If TNF-{alpha} acts locally around its site of production in the muscle and adipose tissue, the accessibility of those compartments to TNFi protein delivered iv could be an obstacle. The use of Ad5-mediated expression of TNFi in vivo reported here may circumvent this problem. It has been reported that efficient and long-term in vivo gene transfer throughout skeletal muscle and the liver of mice can be easily accomplished by iv administration of an adenoviral vector (31). With the adenovirus-mediated gene transfer technique, it is possible to specifically target TNF inhibition to insulin responsive tissues by injecting the virus vector directly into those tissues (32), simulating a condition of tissue-specific TNF inhibition. The Ad5-TNFi vector can also be administered to animals at different stages in the evolution of obesity or insulin resistance. Moreover, it also allows for comparison of the effects of long-term vs. short-term TNF inhibition on whole-animal glucose metabolism and molecular pathways of insulin signaling to further understanding of the spatial and temporal requirements for TNF-{alpha}-induced insulin resistance in obesity. Furthermore, transgenic animal models in which either TNF-{alpha} itself (5, 33) or the TNF receptor (5) is not expressed, while providing important information, are subject to the limitation that abnormal TNF-{alpha} signaling pertains throughout the entire life span of the animal. Increased TNF-{alpha} expression in obesity, which may initially manifest itself or progress in severity in adult life, presumably only occurs after the development of the obese state, because weight reduction has been shown to diminish TNF-{alpha} expression in both humans (23) and rodents (21). In addition, permanent complete absence of a receptor or its ligand may result in compensatory developmental alterations in other signaling components (34).

DM2 is a complex pathophysiological condition involving multiple organs. Thus, the model proposed here provides an efficient and cost-effective alternative to transgenics. Moreover, the technique permits rapid evaluation of effects of TNF-{alpha} in different genetic models of obesity-linked insulin resistance (e.g. ob/ob, db/db, tub, and agouti), while minimizing the time and cost constraint of cross-breeding and maintaining a sufficient number of animals to study a given genetic background.


    Acknowledgments
 
We are grateful to Norman Hodges for technical assistance and Dr. Solomon S. Solomon for helpful discussion. Dr. James Wan gave advice on statistical analysis of the data. We thank Dr. Stephen Barnes and Marion Kirk of the Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of Alabama, Birmingham (supported by NIH Instrumentation Grant S10RR06487 and National Cancer Institute Core Research Grant P30 CA13148–26) for analysis of the synthetic phosphopeptide.


    Footnotes
 
1 Funded in part by an American Heart Association (Louisiana Affiliate) Graduate Student Fellowship. Back

2 Supported by NIH Medical Student Research Fellowship DK-07405. Back

3 Supported by NIH Grant R-29-AA-10384 and a grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Back

4 Recipient of research grants from the American Diabetes Association and the University of Tennessee Medical Group. Back

Received June 15, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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