Browsing by Author "Kulkarni, Abhishek"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    12-Lipoxygenase governs the innate immune pathogenesis of islet inflammation and autoimmune diabetes
    (The American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2021-07-22) Kulkarni, Abhishek; Pineros, Annie R.; Walsh, Melissa A.; Casimiro, Isabel; Ibrahim, Sara; Hernandez-Perez, Marimar; Orr, Kara S.; Glenn, Lindsey; Nadler, Jerry L.; Morris, Margaret A.; Tersey, Sarah A.; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Anderson, Ryan M.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Macrophages and related myeloid cells are innate immune cells that participate in the early islet inflammation of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The enzyme 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) catalyzes the formation of proinflammatory eicosanoids, but its role and mechanisms in myeloid cells in the pathogenesis of islet inflammation have not been elucidated. Leveraging a model of islet inflammation in zebrafish, we show here that macrophages contribute significantly to the loss of β cells and the subsequent development of hyperglycemia. The depletion or inhibition of 12-LOX in this model resulted in reduced macrophage infiltration into islets and the preservation of β cell mass. In NOD mice, the deletion of the gene encoding 12-LOX in the myeloid lineage resulted in reduced insulitis with reductions in proinflammatory macrophages, a suppressed T cell response, preserved β cell mass, and almost complete protection from the development of T1D. 12-LOX depletion caused a defect in myeloid cell migration, a function required for immune surveillance and tissue injury responses. This effect on migration resulted from the loss of the chemokine receptor CXCR3. Transgenic expression of the gene encoding CXCR3 rescued the migratory defect in zebrafish 12-LOX morphants. Taken together, our results reveal a formative role for innate immune cells in the early pathogenesis of T1D and identify 12-LOX as an enzyme required to promote their prodiabetogenic phenotype in the context of autoimmunity.
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    A 12-lipoxygenase-Gpr31 signaling axis is required for pancreatic organogenesis in the zebrafish
    (Wiley, 2020-11) Hernandez-Perez, Marimar; Kulkarni, Abhishek; Samala, Niharika; Sorrell, Cody; El, Kimberly; Haider, Isra; Aleem, Ansari Mukhtar; Holman, Theodore R.; Rai, Ganesha; Tersey, Sarah A.; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Anderson, Ryan M.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    12-Lipoxygenase (12-LOX) is a key enzyme in arachidonic acid metabolism, and alongside its major product, 12-HETE, plays a key role in promoting inflammatory signaling during diabetes pathogenesis. Although 12-LOX is a proposed therapeutic target to protect pancreatic islets in the setting of diabetes, little is known about the consequences of blocking its enzymatic activity during embryonic development. Here, we have leveraged the strengths of the zebrafish-genetic manipulation and pharmacologic inhibition-to interrogate the role of 12-LOX in pancreatic development. Lipidomics analysis during zebrafish development demonstrated that 12-LOX-generated metabolites of arachidonic acid increase sharply during organogenesis stages, and that this increase is blocked by morpholino-directed depletion of 12-LOX. Furthermore, we found that either depletion or inhibition of 12-LOX impairs both exocrine pancreas growth and unexpectedly, the generation of insulin-producing β cells. We demonstrate that morpholino-mediated knockdown of GPR31, a purported G-protein-coupled receptor for 12-HETE, largely phenocopies both the depletion and the inhibition of 12-LOX. Moreover, we show that loss of GPR31 impairs pancreatic bud fusion and pancreatic duct morphogenesis. Together, these data provide new insight into the requirement of 12-LOX in pancreatic organogenesis and islet formation, and additionally provide evidence that its effects are mediated via a signaling axis that includes the 12-HETE receptor GPR31.
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    Deoxyhypusine Synthase Promotes a Pro-Inflammatory Macrophage Phenotype
    (Elsevier, 2021) Anderson-Baucum, Emily; Piñeros, Annie R.; Kulkarni, Abhishek; Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo; Maier, Bernhard; Anderson, Ryan M.; Wu, Wenting; Tersey, Sarah A.; Mastracci, Teresa L.; Casimiro, Isabel; Scheuner, Donalyn; Metz, Thomas O.; Nakayasu, Ernesto S.; Evans-Molina, Carmella; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Biology, School of Science
    The metabolic inflammation (meta-inflammation) of obesity is characterized by proinflammatory macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. Catalysis by deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS) modifies the translation factor eIF5A to generate a hypusine (Hyp) residue. Hypusinated eIF5A (eIF5AHyp) controls the translation of mRNAs involved in inflammation, but its role in meta-inflammation has not been elucidated. Levels of eIF5AHyp were found to be increased in adipose tissue macrophages from obese mice and in murine macrophages activated to a proinflammatory M1-like state. Global proteomics and transcriptomics revealed that DHPS deficiency in macrophages altered the abundance of proteins involved in NF-κB signaling, likely through translational control of their respective mRNAs. DHPS deficiency in myeloid cells of obese mice suppressed M1 macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue and improved glucose tolerance. These findings indicate that DHPS promotes the post-transcriptional regulation of a subset of mRNAs governing inflammation and chemotaxis in macrophages and contributes to a proinflammatory M1-like phenotype.
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    Extracellular vesicles in β cell biology: Role of lipids in vesicle biogenesis, cargo, and intercellular signaling
    (Elsevier, 2022) Aguirre, Rebecca S.; Kulkarni, Abhishek; Becker, Matthew W.; Lei, Xiaoyong; Sarkar, Soumyadeep; Ramanadham, Sasanka; Phelps, Edward A.; Nakayasu, Ernesto S.; Sims, Emily K.; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a complex autoimmune disorder whose pathogenesis involves an intricate interplay between β cells of the pancreatic islet, other islet cells, and cells of the immune system. Direct intercellular communication within the islet occurs via cell surface proteins and indirect intercellular communication has traditionally been seen as occurring via secreted proteins (e.g., endocrine hormones and cytokines). However, recent literature suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by β cells constitute an additional and biologically important mechanism for transmitting signals to within the islet. Scope of review: This review summarizes the general mechanisms of EV formation, with a particular focus on how lipids and lipid signaling pathways influence their formation and cargo. We review the implications of EV release from β cells for T1D pathogenesis, how EVs and their cargo might be leveraged as biomarkers of this process, and how EVs might be engineered as a therapeutic candidate to counter T1D outcomes. Major conclusions: Islet β cells have been viewed as initiators and propagators of the cellular circuit giving rise to autoimmunity in T1D. In this context, emerging literature suggests that EVs may represent a conduit for communication that holds more comprehensive messaging about the β cells from which they arise. As the field of EV biology advances, it opens the possibility that intervening with EV formation and cargo loading could be a novel disease-modifying approach in T1D.
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    Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis preserves β cell function in type 1 diabetes
    (Elsevier, 2023) Sims, Emily K.; Kulkarni, Abhishek; Hull, Audrey; Woerner, Stephanie E.; Cabrera, Susanne; Mastrandrea, Lucy D.; Hammoud, Batoul; Sarkar, Soumyadeep; Nakayasu, Ernesto S.; Mastracci, Teresa L.; Perkins, Susan M.; Ouyang, Fangqian; Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo; Enriquez, Jacob R.; Tersey, Sarah A.; Evans-Molina, Carmella; Long, S. Alice; Blanchfield, Lori; Gerner, Eugene W.; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; DiMeglio, Linda A.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    In preclinical models, α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) inhibitor, delays the onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) by reducing β cell stress. However, the mechanism of DFMO action and its human tolerability remain unclear. In this study, we show that mice with β cell ODC deletion are protected against toxin-induced diabetes, suggesting a cell-autonomous role of ODC during β cell stress. In a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02384889) involving 41 recent-onset T1D subjects (3:1 drug:placebo) over a 3-month treatment period with a 3-month follow-up, DFMO (125-1,000 mg/m2) is shown to meet its primary outcome of safety and tolerability. DFMO dose-dependently reduces urinary putrescine levels and, at higher doses, preserves C-peptide area under the curve without apparent immunomodulation. Transcriptomics and proteomics of DFMO-treated human islets exposed to cytokine stress reveal alterations in mRNA translation, nascent protein transport, and protein secretion. These findings suggest that DFMO may preserve β cell function in T1D through islet cell-autonomous effects.
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    A Novel 2-Hit Zebrafish Model to Study Early Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
    (MDPI, 2022-02-17) Kulkarni, Abhishek; Ibrahim, Sara; Haider, Isra; Basha, Amina; Montgomery, Emma; Ermis, Ebru; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Anderson, Ryan M.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver diseases in adults. NAFLD progresses from benign liver fat accumulation to liver inflammation and cirrhosis, and ultimately leads to liver failure. Although several rodent models have been established for studying NAFLD, they have limitations that include cost, speed of disease development, key dissimilarities, and poor amenability to pharmacological screens. Here, we present a novel 2-hit zebrafish model to replicate aspects of NAFLD pathogenesis. We fed zebrafish larvae a high-fat diet (HFD) to drive liver fat accumulation (first hit). Next, we exacerbated liver-specific inflammation using a transgenic line (fabp10-CETI-PIC3) that induces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines following induction with doxycycline (second hit). These hits promoted fat accumulation and liver inflammation, as demonstrated by the high expression of inflammatory cytokines, macrophage infiltration, stress induction, and hepatic lipid droplet accumulation. Furthermore, zebrafish in this paradigm showed deranged glucose metabolism. To validate a small-molecule screening approach, we treated HFD-fed fish with pioglitazone, a drug shown to be beneficial for NAFLD in humans, and measured a sharp reduction in liver lipid accumulation. These results demonstrate new utility for zebrafish in modeling early NAFLD pathogenesis and demonstrate their feasibility for in vivo screening of new pharmacological interventions.
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    Proinflammatory signaling in islet β cells propagates invasion of pathogenic immune cells in autoimmune diabetes
    (Elsevier, 2022) Piñeros, Annie R.; Kulkarni, Abhishek; Gao, Hongyu; Orr, Kara S.; Glenn, Lindsey; Huang, Fei; Liu, Yunlong; Gannon, Maureen; Syed, Farooq; Wu, Wenting; Anderson, Cara M.; Evans-Molina, Carmella; McDuffie, Marcia; Nadler, Jerry L.; Morris, Margaret A.; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Tersey, Sarah A.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Type 1 diabetes is a disorder of immune tolerance that leads to death of insulin-producing islet β cells. We hypothesize that inflammatory signaling within β cells promotes progression of autoimmunity within the islet microenvironment. To test this hypothesis, we deleted the proinflammatory gene encoding 12/15-lipoxygenase (Alox15) in β cells of non-obese diabetic mice at a pre-diabetic time point when islet inflammation is a feature. Deletion of Alox15 leads to preservation of β cell mass, reduces populations of infiltrating T cells, and protects against spontaneous autoimmune diabetes in both sexes. Mice lacking Alox15 in β cells exhibit an increase in a population of β cells expressing the gene encoding the protein programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), which engages receptors on immune cells to suppress autoimmunity. Delivery of a monoclonal antibody against PD-L1 recovers the diabetes phenotype in knockout animals. Our results support the contention that inflammatory signaling in β cells promotes autoimmunity during type 1 diabetes progression.