G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) has been identified as a receptor for short-chain fatty acids that include acetate and propionate. A potential involvement of GPR43 in immune and inflammatory response has been previously suggested because its expression is highly enriched in immune cells. GPR43 is also expressed in a number of other tissues including adipocytes; however, the functional consequences of GPR43 activation in these other tissues are not clear. In this report, we focus on the potential functions of GPR43 in adipocytes. We show that adipocytes treated with GPR43 natural ligands, acetate and propionate, exhibit a reduction in lipolytic activity. This inhibition of lipolysis is the result of GPR43 activation, because this effect is abolished in adipocytes isolated from GPR43 knockout animals. In a mouse in vivo model, we show that the activation of GPR43 by acetate results in the reduction in plasma free fatty acid levels without inducing the flushing side effect that has been observed by the activation of nicotinic acid receptor, GPR109A. These results suggest a potential role for GPR43 in regulating plasma lipid profiles and perhaps aspects of metabolic syndrome.

Recombinant fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 has antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, and antiobesity effects in diabetic rodent and monkey models. Previous studies were confined to measuring steady-state effects of FGF21 following subchronic or chronic administration. The present study focuses on the kinetics of biological actions of FGF21 following a single injection and on the associated physiological and cellular mechanisms underlying FGF21 actions. We show that FGF21 resulted in rapid decline of blood glucose levels and immediate improvement of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in two animal models of insulin resistance (ob/ob and DIO mice). In ob/ob mice, FGF21 led to a 40-60% decrease in blood glucose, insulin, and amylin levels within 1 h after injection, and the maximal effects were sustained for more than 6 h despite the 1- to 2-h half-life of FGF21. In DIO mice, FGF21 reduced fasting blood glucose and insulin levels and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity within 3 h of treatment. The acute improvement of glucose metabolism was associated with a 30% reduction of hepatic glucose production and an increase in peripheral glucose turnover. FGF21 appeared to have no direct effect on ex vivo pancreatic islet insulin or glucagon secretion. However, it rapidly induced typical FGF signaling in liver and adipose tissues and in several hepatoma-derived cell lines and differentiated adipocytes. FGF21 was able to inhibit glucose release from H4IIE hepatoma cells and stimulate glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We conclude that the acute glucose-lowering and insulin-sensitizing effects of FGF21 are potentially associated with its metabolic actions in liver and adipose tissues.

FGF19 and FGF21, unique members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, are hormones that regulate glucose, lipid, and energy homeostasis. Increased hepatocyte proliferation and liver tumor formation have also been observed in FGF19 transgenic mice. Here, we report that, in contrast to FGF19, FGF21 does not induce hepatocyte proliferation in vivo. To identify the mechanism for FGF19-induced hepatocyte proliferation, we explored similarities and differences in receptor specificity between FGF19 and FGF21. We find that although both are able to activate FGF receptors (FGFRs) 1c, 2c, and 3c, only FGF19 activates FGFR4, the predominant receptor in the liver. Using a C-terminal truncation mutant of FGF19 and a series of FGF19/ FGF21 chimeric molecules, we determined that amino acids residues 38 -42 of FGF19 are sufficient to confer both FGFR4 activation and increased hepatocyte proliferation in vivo to FGF21. These data suggest that activation of FGFR4 is the mechanism whereby FGF19 can increase hepatocyte proliferation and induce hepatocellular carcinoma formation. FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23 form a unique subfamily of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs).3 Unlike other FGFs, all three have been shown to function as endocrine hormones in the regulation of various metabolic processes (1). FGF23 originates in bone and regulates phosphate homeostasis in kidney (2), FGF21 is expressed predominantly in liver and signals in adipose tissue (3), and FGF19 is secreted from ileum and functions as an enterohepatic signal for the regulation of bile acid metabolism (4).FGF19 and FGF21 have similar effects on regulating glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism. Both FGF19 and FGF21 transgenic mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity, have decreased body fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity, glucose disposal, and plasma lipid parameters (5-8). Administration of recombinant FGF19 or FGF21 protein to diabetic mice resulted in the reduction of serum glucose and insulin levels, improved glucose tolerance, and reduced liver steatosis and body weight (7,8). In addition, FGF21 improved glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles and reduced body weight in diabetic rhesus monkeys (9). Taken together, these observations suggest the potential utility of FGF19 and FGF21 for the treatment of diabetes and obesity (1).Because of the sequence and structural homology between FGF19 and FGF21 with the other FGFs, most of which have well established roles in cell proliferation and mitogenesis, whether FGF19 and FGF21 could induce cell proliferation have also been investigated. In the case of FGF19, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation was observed in transgenic mice overexpressing FGF19 in skeletal muscle (10). In addition, increases in the proliferation of pericentral hepatocytes, as measured by enhanced BrdU labeling, was observed both in FGF19 transgenic animals and wild-type mice administered recombinant FGF19 (10). Because constitutive hepatocellular proliferation may be a prerequisite for transformation (11), it is interesting to note that cell...

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a distinctive member of the FGF family with potent beneficial effects on lipid, body weight, and glucose metabolism and has attracted considerable interest as a potential therapeutic for treating diabetes and obesity. As an alternative to native FGF21, we have developed a monoclonal antibody, mimAb1, that binds to βKlotho with high affinity and specifically activates signaling from the βKlotho/FGFR1c (FGF receptor 1c) receptor complex. In obese cynomolgus monkeys, injection of mimAb1 led to FGF21-like metabolic effects, including decreases in body weight, plasma insulin, triglycerides, and glucose during tolerance testing. Mice with adipose-selective FGFR1 knockout were refractory to FGF21-induced improvements in glucose metabolism and body weight. These results in obese monkeys (with mimAb1) and in FGFR1 knockout mice (with FGF21) demonstrated the essential role of FGFR1c in FGF21 function and suggest fat as a critical target tissue for the cytokine and antibody. Because mimAb1 depends on βKlotho to activate FGFR1c, it is not expected to induce side effects caused by activating FGFR1c alone. The unexpected finding of an antibody that can activate FGF21-like signaling through cell surface receptors provided preclinical validation for an innovative therapeutic approach to diabetes and obesity.

FFA2 (GPR43) has been identified as a receptor for short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that include acetate and propionate. FFA2 is highly expressed in islets, a subset of immune cells, and adipocytes. Although the potential roles of FFA2 activation in these tissues have previously been described, the physiological functions are still unclear. The potency for SCFAs on FFA2 is low, in the high micromolar to millimolar concentrations. To identify better pharmacological tools to study receptor function, we used high-throughput screening (HTS) to discover a series of small molecule phenylacetamides as novel and more potent FFA2 agonists. This series is specific for FFA2 over FFA1 (GPR40) and FFA3 (GPR41), and it is able to activate both the G␣ q and G␣ i pathways in vitro on Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing FFA2. Treatment of adipocytes with these compounds also resulted in G␣ i -dependent inhibition of lipolysis similar to that of endogenous ligands (SCFAs). It is noteworthy that these compounds not only acted as FFA2 agonists but also exhibited positive cooperativity with acetate or propionate. The observed allosteric modulation was consistent in all the functional assays that we have explored, including cAMP, calcium mobilization, guanosine 5Ј-[␥-thio]triphosphate binding, and lipolysis. Molecular modeling analysis of FFA2 based on human ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor structure revealed potential nonoverlapping binding sites for the endogenous and synthetic ligands, further providing insight into the binding pocket for the allosteric interactions. This is the first report describing the identification of novel allosteric modulators with agonist activity for FFA2, and these compounds may serve as tools for further unraveling the physiological functions of the receptor and its involvement in various diseases.