Obesity is an established risk factor in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease; all components that are part of the metabolic syndrome. Traditionally, insulin resistance has been defined in a glucocentric perspective. However, elevated systemic levels of fatty acids are now considered significant contributors towards the pathophysiological aspects associated with the syndrome. An overaccumulation of unoxidized long-chain fatty acids can saturate the storage capacity of adipose tissue, resulting in a lipid 'spill over' to non-adipose tissues, such as the liver, muscle, heart, and pancreatic-islets. Under these circumstances, such ectopic lipid deposition can have deleterious effects. The excess lipids are driven into alternative non-oxidative pathways, which result in the formation of reactive lipid moieties that promote metabolically relevant cellular dysfunction (lipotoxicity) and programmed cell-death (lipoapoptosis). Here, we focus on how both of these processes affect metabolically significant cell-types and highlight how lipotoxicity and sequential lipoapoptosis are as major mediators of insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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The high density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor Scavenger Receptor BII (SR-BII) is encoded by an alternatively spliced mRNA from the SR-BI gene and is expressed in various tissues. SR-BII protein differs from SR-BI only in the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic tail, which, as we showed previously, must contain a signal that confers predominant intracellular expression and rapid endocytosis of HDL. We haveshownthatSR-BIImediatesHDLendocytosisthroughaclathrindependent, caveolae-independent pathway. Two candidate amino acid motifs were identified in the tail that could mediate association with clathrin-containing endocytic vesicles: a putative dileucine motif at position 492-493 and an overlapping tyrosine-based YXXZ motif starting at position 489. Although substitution of tyrosine at position 489 with alanine or histidine did not affect endocytosis, substitution L492A resulted in increased surface binding of HDL and reduced HDL particle endocytosis. Substitution L493A had a less dramatic effect. No other regions in the carboxyl-terminal tail appeared to contain motifs required for HDL endocytosis. Substitutions of leucine at position 492 with the hydrophobic amino acids valine or phenylalanine also reduced HDL endocytosis, stressing the importance of leucine at this position. Introducing the SR-BII YTPLL motif into the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic tail of SR-BI converted SR-BI into an endocytic receptor resembling SR-BII. These results demonstrated that SR-BII differs from SR-BI in subcellular localization and trafficking and suggest that the two isoforms differ in the manner in which they target ligands intracellularly.

T-cell–mediated approaches have shown promise in myeloma treatment. However, there are currently a limited number of specific myeloma antigens that can be targeted, and multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease. G-protein–coupled receptor class 5 member D (GPRC5D) is expressed in MM and smoldering MM patient plasma cells. Here, we demonstrate that GPRC5D protein is present on the surface of MM cells and describe JNJ-64407564, a GPRC5DxCD3 bispecific antibody that recruits CD3+ T cells to GPRC5D+ MM cells and induces killing of GPRC5D+ cells. In vitro, JNJ-64407564 induced specific cytotoxicity of GPRC5D+ cells with concomitant T-cell activation and also killed plasma cells in MM patient samples ex vivo. JNJ-64407564 can recruit T cells and induce tumor regression in GPRC5D+ MM murine models, which coincide with T-cell infiltration at the tumor site. This antibody is also able to induce cytotoxicity of patient primary MM cells from bone marrow, which is the natural site of this disease. GPRC5D is a promising surface antigen for MM immunotherapy, and JNJ-64407564 is currently being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory MM (NCT03399799).

In this study, we elucidated the mechanism by which adiponectin modulates hepatic stellate cell activation and fibrogenesis. Adiponectin-overexpressing transgenic mice receiving thioacetamide were resistant to fibrosis, compared with controls. In contrast, adiponectin-null animals developed severe fibrosis. Expression of collagen ␣1(I) and ␣-smooth muscle actin (␣-SMA) mRNAs were significantly lower in adiponectin-overexpressing mice, compared with controls. In wild-type stellate cells exposed to a lentivirus encoding adiponectin, expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ (PPAR␥), SREBP1c, and CEBP␣ mRNAs was significantly increased (3.2-, 4.1-, and 2.2-fold, respectively; n ‫؍‬ 3; P < 0.05, adiponectin virus versus control), consistent with possible activation of an adipogenic transcriptional program. Troglitazone, a PPAR␥ agonist, strongly suppressed upregulation of collagen ␣1(I) and ␣-SMA mRNA in stellate cells isolated from wild-type mice; however, stellate cells from adiponectin-null animals failed to respond to troglitazone. Furthermore, in isolated stellate cells in which PPAR␥ was depleted using an adenovirus-Cre-recombinase system and in which adiponectin was also overexpressed, collagen ␣1(I) and ␣-SMA were significantly inhibited. We conclude that the PPAR␥ effect on stellate cell activation and the fibrogenic cascade appears to be adiponectin-dependent; however, the inhibitory effect of adiponectin on stellate cell activation was not dependent on PPAR␥, suggesting the presence of PPAR␥-dependent as well as independent pathways in stellate cells.

Objective-The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor scavenger receptor Class B type I (SR-BI) plays a key role in mediating the final step of reverse cholesterol transport. This study examined the possible regulation of hepatic SR-BI by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), a well known regulator of endocytosis and membrane protein trafficking. Methods and Results-SR-BI-dependent HDL selective cholesterol ester uptake in human HepG2 hepatoma cells was decreased (Ϸ50%) by the PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002. Insulin increased selective uptake (Ϸ30%), and this increase was blocked by PI3K inhibitors. Changes in SR-BI activity could be accounted for by pronounced changes in the subcellular localization and cell surface expression of SR-BI as determined by HDL cell surface binding, receptor biotinylation studies, and confocal fluorescence microscopy of HepG2 cells expressing green fluorescent protein-tagged SR-BI. Thus, under conditions of PI3K activation by insulin, and to a lesser extent by the SR-BI ligand HDL, cell surface expression of SR-BI was promoted, resulting in increased SR-BI-mediated HDL selective lipid uptake. Conclusion-Our

Previous studies have suggested that HDL retroendocytosis may play a role in scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI)-dependent selective lipid uptake in a cellspecific manner. To investigate this possibility, we developed methods to quantitatively measure HDL uptake and resecretion in fibroblast (COS-7) and hepatocyte (HepG2) cells expressing exogenous SR-BI. Approximately 17% and 24% of HDL associated in an SR-BI-dependent manner with COS-7 and HepG2 cells, respectively, accumulates intracellularly after a 10 min incubation. To determine whether this intracellular HDL undergoes retroendocytosis, we developed a pulse-chase assay whereby internalized biotinylated 125 I-HDL 3 secreted from cells is quantitatively precipitated from cell supernatants using immobilized streptavidin. Our results show a rapid secretion of a portion of intracellular HDL from both cell types (representing 4-7% of the total cell-associated HDL) that is almost complete within 30 min (half-life z 10 min). In COS-7 cells, the calculated rate of HDL secretion (z0.5 ng HDL/mg/min) was .30-fold slower than the rate of SR-BI-dependent selective cholesteryl ester (CE) uptake (z17 ng HDL/mg/min), whereas the rate of release of HDL from the cell surface (z19 ng HDL/ mg/min) was similar to the rate of selective CE uptake. Notably, the rate of SR-BI-dependent HDL resecretion in COS-7 and HepG2 cells was similar. BLT1, a compound that inhibits selective CE uptake, does not alter the amount of SR-BI-mediated HDL retroendocytosis in COS-7 cells. From these data, we conclude that HDL retroendocytosis in COS-7 and HepG2 cells is similar and that the vast majority of SR-BI-dependent selective uptake occurs at the cell surface in both cell types.-Sun, B., E. R. M. Eckhardt, S. Shetty, D. R. van der Westhuyzen, and N. R. Webb. Quantitative analysis of SR-BI-dependent HDL retroendocytosis in hepatocytes and fibroblasts. J. Lipid Res. 2006. 47: 1700-1713.Supplementary key words selective cholesteryl ester uptake . biotinylation . scavenger receptor class B type I Abundant evidence has established that scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) plays a primary role in HDL metabolism by mediating selective cholesteryl ester (CE) uptake, a process in which HDL CE is taken up without intracellular apolipoprotein degradation (1). In addition to mediating the selective uptake of HDL CE, SR-BI also plays a role in facilitating the bidirectional flux of unesterified cholesterol between cells and extracellular acceptors (2-4). SR-BI has a large extracellular loop (z400 residues), two transmembrane domains, and two short cytoplasmic tails at its N and C termini (5). SR-BI is highly expressed in liver and steroidogenic tissues, which are known to be major sites for selective lipid uptake. SR-BI is also expressed in other cells such as macrophages (6, 7), intestinal cells (8-10), and endothelial cells (11-13). Although SR-BI is best known as a physiological HDL receptor, it also binds other lipoprotein ligands, such as LDL, oxidized LDL, and acetylated LDL (1, 1...

Adiponectin overexpression in mice increases insulin sensitivity independent of adiposity. Here, we combined stable isotope infusion and in vivo measurements of lipid flux with transcriptomic analysis to characterize fatty acid metabolism in transgenic mice that overexpress adiponectin via the aP2-promoter (ADNTg). Compared with controls, fasted ADNTg mice demonstrated a 31% reduction in plasma free fatty acid concentrations (P = 0.008), a doubling of ketones (P = 0.028), and a 68% increase in free fatty acid turnover in plasma (15.1 ± 1.5 vs. 25.3 ± 6.8 mg/kg · min, P = 0.011). ADNTg mice had 2-fold more brown adipose tissue mass, and triglyceride synthesis and turnover were 5-fold greater in this organ (P = 0.046). Epididymal white adipose tissue was slightly reduced, possibly due to the approximately 1.5-fold increase in the expression of genes involved in oxidation (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α, and uncoupling protein 3). In ADNTg liver, lipogenic gene expression was reduced, but there was an unexpected increase in the expression of retinoid pathway genes (hepatic retinol binding protein 1 and retinoic acid receptor beta and adipose Cyp26A1) and liver retinyl ester content (64% higher, P < 0.02). Combined, these data support a physiological link between adiponectin signaling and increased efficiency of triglyceride synthesis and hydrolysis, a process that can be controlled by retinoids. Interactions between adiponectin and retinoids may underlie adiponectin's effects on intermediary metabolism.