adenosine-kinase and Obesity

Recent evidence indicates that the enzyme adenosine monophosphate (AMP) kinase exerts important fat-reducing effects in the adipose tissue, which has created great interest in this enzyme as a potential target for obesity treatment. This review summarizes our findings that chronic AMP kinase activation remodels adipocyte glucose and lipid metabolism and enhances the ability of adipose tissue to dissipate energy within itself and reduce adiposity.

Topics: Adenosine Kinase; Adenosine Monophosphate; Adipose Tissue, White; Animals; Energy Metabolism; Enzyme Activation; Glucose; Lipid Metabolism; Obesity; Phosphotransferases

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is highly associated with obesity and progresses to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis when the liver develops overt inflammatory damage. While removing adenosine in the purine salvage pathway, adenosine kinase (ADK) regulates methylation reactions. We aimed to study whether hepatocyte ADK functions as an obesogenic gene/enzyme to promote excessive fat deposition and liver inflammation.. Liver sections of human subjects were examined for ADK expression using immunohistochemistry. Mice with hepatocyte-specific ADK disruption or overexpression were examined for hepatic fat deposition and inflammation. Liver lipidomics, hepatocyte RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and single-cell RNA-seq for liver nonparenchymal cells were performed to analyze ADK regulation of hepatocyte metabolic responses and hepatocyte-nonparenchymal cells crosstalk.. Whereas patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease had increased hepatic ADK levels, mice with hepatocyte-specific ADK disruption displayed decreased hepatic fat deposition on a chow diet and were protected from diet-induced excessive hepatic fat deposition and inflammation. In contrast, mice with hepatocyte-specific ADK overexpression displayed increased body weight and adiposity and elevated degrees of hepatic steatosis and inflammation compared with control mice. RNA-seq and epigenetic analyses indicated that ADK increased hepatic DNA methylation and decreased hepatic Ppara expression and fatty acid oxidation. Lipidomic and single-cell RNA-seq analyses indicated that ADK-driven hepatocyte factors, due to mitochondrial dysfunction, enhanced macrophage proinflammatory activation in manners involving increased expression of stimulator of interferon genes.. Hepatocyte ADK functions to promote excessive fat deposition and liver inflammation through suppressing hepatocyte fatty acid oxidation and producing hepatocyte-derived proinflammatory mediators. Therefore, hepatocyte ADK is a therapeutic target for managing obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Topics: Adenosine Kinase; Animals; Diet, High-Fat; Fatty Acids; Hepatitis; Hepatocytes; Humans; Inflammation; Liver; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Obesity

Insulin resistance-related disorders are associated with endothelial dysfunction. Accumulating evidence has suggested a role for adenosine signaling in the regulation of endothelial function. Here, we identified a crucial role of endothelial adenosine kinase (ADK) in the regulation of insulin resistance. Feeding mice with a high-fat diet (HFD) markedly enhanced the expression of endothelial Adk. Ablation of endothelial Adk in HFD-fed mice improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and decreased hepatic steatosis, adipose inflammation and adiposity, which were associated with improved arteriole vasodilation, decreased inflammation and increased adipose angiogenesis. Mechanistically, ADK inhibition or knockdown in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) elevated intracellular adenosine level and increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) activity, resulting in an increase in nitric oxide (NO) production. Antagonism of adenosine receptor A2b abolished ADK-knockdown-enhanced NOS3 expression in HUVECs. Additionally, increased phosphorylation of NOS3 in ADK-knockdown HUVECs was regulated by an adenosine receptor-independent mechanism. These data suggest that Adk-deficiency-elevated intracellular adenosine in endothelial cells ameliorates diet-induced insulin resistance and metabolic disorders, and this is associated with an enhancement of NO production caused by increased NOS3 expression and activation. Therefore, ADK is a potential target for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders associated with insulin resistance.

Topics: Adenosine Kinase; Adipose Tissue; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Diet, High-Fat; Endothelium, Vascular; Fatty Liver; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Humans; Inflammation; Insulin Resistance; Male; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Obesity; Phosphorylation

The maximal activities of 5'-nucleotidase, adenosine deaminase and adenosine kinase were measured in quadriceps or soleus muscle from animals in which the sensitivity to insulin was changed. Most conditions caused no effect on the activities but exercise-training increased the activity of adenosine deaminase and cold exposure increased the activity of 5'-nucleotidase in soleus muscle: in addition, ageing decreased markedly the activities of all three enzymes in both muscles. When the activities are based on mg protein they are much higher in both white and brown adipose tissue than in muscle, suggesting that changes in adenosine concentration may be important in changing insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue whereas changes in adenosine receptor number may be more important in muscle.

Topics: 5'-Nucleotidase; Adenosine; Adenosine Deaminase; Adenosine Kinase; Adipose Tissue; Adrenalectomy; Age Factors; Animals; Insulin; Male; Muscles; Nucleotidases; Obesity; Physical Exertion; Rats; Rats, Zucker

Topics: 5'-Nucleotidase; Adenosine; Adenosine Deaminase; Adenosine Kinase; Adipose Tissue; Adrenalectomy; Animals; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Female; Hypophysectomy; Insulin; Male; Mice; Nucleoside Deaminases; Nucleotidases; Obesity; Phosphotransferases; Pregnancy; Rats; Starvation