Hepatic Akt activation induces marked hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly, and hypertriglyceridemia with sterol regulatory element binding protein involvement

Diabetes. 2003 Dec;52(12):2905-13. doi: 10.2337/diabetes.52.12.2905.

Abstract

Akt is critical in insulin-induced metabolism of glucose and lipids. To investigate functions induced by hepatic Akt activation, a constitutively active Akt, NH(2)-terminally myristoylation signal-attached Akt (myr-Akt), was overexpressed in the liver by injecting its adenovirus into mice. Hepatic myr-Akt overexpression resulted in a markedly hypoglycemic, hypoinsulinemic, and hypertriglyceridemic phenotype with fatty liver and hepatomegaly. To elucidate the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c contribution to these phenotypic features, myr-Akt adenovirus was injected into SREBP-1 knockout mice. myr-Akt overexpression induced hypoglycemia and hepatomegaly with triglyceride accumulation in SREBP-1 knockout mice to a degree similar to that in normal mice, whereas myr-Akt-induced hypertriglyceridemia in knockout mice was milder than that in normal mice. The myr-Akt-induced changes in glucokinase, phosphofructokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and PEPCK expressions were not affected by knocking out SREBP-1, whereas stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 induction was completely inhibited in knockout mice. Constitutively active SREBP-1-overexpressing mice had fatty livers without hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, or hypertriglyceridemia. Hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase expressions were significantly increased by overexpressing SREBP-1, whereas glucokinase, phospho-fructokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and PEPCK expressions were not or only slightly affected. Thus, SREBP-1 is not absolutely necessary for the hepatic Akt-mediated hypoglycemic effect. In contrast, myr-Akt-induced hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic triglyceride accumulation are mediated by both Akt-induced SREBP-1 expression and a mechanism involving fatty acid synthesis independent of SREBP-1.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Enzymes / genetics
  • Fatty Liver / etiology
  • Gluconeogenesis
  • Glycolysis
  • Hepatomegaly / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Hypertriglyceridemia / etiology*
  • Hypoglycemia / etiology*
  • Lipids / biosynthesis
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Phenotype
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1
  • Transcription Factors*

Substances

  • CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Enzymes
  • Lipids
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • SREBF1 protein, human
  • Srebf1 protein, mouse
  • Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1
  • Transcription Factors
  • AKT1 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt