Extracellular macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) downregulates adipose hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and contributes to obesity

Mol Metab. 2024 Jan:79:101834. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101834. Epub 2023 Nov 5.

Abstract

Attenuation of adipose hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) may impair lipolysis and exacerbate obesity. We investigate the role of cytokine, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in regulating adipose HSL and adipocyte hypertrophy. Extracellular MIF downregulates HSL in an autocrine fashion, by activating the AMPK/JNK signaling pathway upon binding to its membrane receptor, CD74. WT mice fed high fat diet (HFD), as well as mice overexpressing MIF, both had high circulating MIF levels and showed suppression of HSL during the development of obesity. Blocking the extracellular action of MIF by a neutralizing MIF antibody significantly reduced obesity in HFD mice. Interestingly, intracellular MIF binds with COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (Csn5) and JNK, which leads to an opposing effect to inhibit JNK phosphorylation. With global MIF deletion, adipocyte JNK phosphorylation increased, resulting in decreased HSL expression, suggesting that the loss of MIF's intracellular inhibitory action on JNK was dominant in Mif-/- mice. Adipose tissue from Mif-/- mice also exhibited higher Akt and lower PKA phosphorylation following HFD feeding compared with WT, which may contribute to the downregulation of HSL activation during more severe obesity. Both intracellular and extracellular MIF have opposing effects to regulate HSL, but extracellular actions predominate to downregulate HSL and exacerbate the development of obesity during HFD.

Keywords: AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK); Adipose tissue; Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL); Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF); Obesity; c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK).

MeSH terms

  • Adipocytes / metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors* / genetics
  • Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors* / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Obesity / metabolism
  • Sterol Esterase / metabolism

Substances

  • Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors
  • Sterol Esterase
  • MIF protein, human