To search for a gene(s) conferring susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy (DN), we genotyped over 80,000 genebased single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Japanese patients and identified that the engulfment and cell motility 1 gene (ELMO1) was a likely candidate for conferring susceptibility to DN, in view of the significant association of an SNP in this gene with the disease (intron 18؉9170, GG vs. GA؉AA, 2 ‫؍‬ 19.9, P ‫؍‬ 0.000008; odds ratio 2.67, 95% CI 1.71-4.16). In situ hybridization (ISH) using the kidney of normal and diabetic mice revealed that ELMO1 expression was weakly detectable mainly in tubular and glomerular epithelial cells in normal mouse kidney and was clearly elevated in the kidney of diabetic mice. Subsequent in vitro analysis revealed that ELMO1 expression was elevated in cells cultured under high glucose conditions (25 mmol/l) compared with cells cultured under normal glucose conditions (5.5 mmol/l). Furthermore, we identified that the expression of extracellular matrix protein genes, such as type 1 collagen and fibronectin, were increased in cells that overexpress ELMO1, whereas the expression of matrix metalloproteinases was decreased. These results indicate that ELMO1 is a novel candidate gene that both confers susceptibility to DN and plays an important role in the development and progression of this disease. Diabetes 54:1171-1178, 2005

We have previously identified the engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) as a susceptibility gene for diabetic nephropathy. To elucidate the role of ELMO1 in the pathogenesis of chronic renal injury, we examined the expression of Elmo1 in the kidney of a rat model for chronic glomerulonephritis (uninephrectomy plus anti-Thy1.1 antibody [E30] injection). We found that the expression of the Elmo1 was significantly increased in the renal cortex and glomeruli of uninephrectomized rats injected with E30 compared to controls. By in situ hybridization, the expression of Elmo1 was shown to be elevated in the diseased kidney, especially in glomerular epithelial cells. In COS cells, the overexpression of ELMO1 resulted in a substantial increase in fibronectin expression, whereas the depletion of the ELMO1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting ELMO1 significantly suppressed the fibronectin expression in ELMO1 overexpressing and control cells. We also found that the expression of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) was significantly increased in ELMO1 overexpressing cells, and the ELMO1-induced increase in fibronectin was partially, but significantly, inhibited by siRNA targeting ILK. Furthermore, we identified that the cell adhesion to ECMs was considerably inhibited in cells overexpressing ELMO1. These results suggest that the ELMO1 contributes to the development and progression of chronic glomerular injury through the dysregulation of ECM metabolism and the reduction in cell adhesive properties to ECMs.

Intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) accumulation in skeletal muscle greatly contributes to lipid-induced insulin resistance. Because acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase (ACC) 2 negatively modulates mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in skeletal muscle, ACC2 inhibition is expected to reduce IMCL via elevation of FAO and to attenuate insulin resistance. However, the concept of substrate competition suggests that enhanced FAO results in reduced glucose use because of an excessive acetyl-CoA pool in mitochondria. To identify how ACC2-regulated FAO affects IMCL accumulation and glucose metabolism, we generated ACC2 knockout (ACC2-/-) mice and investigated skeletal muscle metabolites associated with fatty acid and glucose metabolism, as well as whole-body glucose metabolism. ACC2-/- mice displayed higher capacity of glucose disposal at the whole-body levels. In skeletal muscle, ACC2-/- mice exhibited enhanced acylcarnitine formation and reduced IMCL levels without alteration in glycolytic intermediate levels. Notably, these changes were accompanied by decreased acetyl-CoA content and enhanced mitochondrial pathways related to acetyl-CoA metabolism, such as the acetylcarnitine production and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Furthermore, ACC2-/- mice exhibited lower levels of IMCL and acetyl-CoA even under HFD conditions and showed protection against HFD-induced insulin resistance. Our findings suggest that ACC2 deletion leads to IMCL reduction without suppressing glucose use via an elevation in acetyl-CoA metabolism even under HFD conditions and offer new mechanistic insight into the therapeutic potential of ACC2 inhibition on insulin resistance.

No abstract