Abstract
High-fat diet (HFD) decreases insulin sensitivity. How high-fat diet causes insulin resistance is largely unknown. Here, we show that lean mice become insulin resistant after being administered exosomes isolated from the feces of obese mice fed a HFD or from patients with type II diabetes. HFD altered the lipid composition of exosomes from predominantly phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in exosomes from lean animals (L-Exo) to phosphatidylcholine (PC) in exosomes from obese animals (H-Exo). Mechanistically, we show that intestinal H-Exo is taken up by macrophages and hepatocytes, leading to inhibition of the insulin signaling pathway. Moreover, exosome-derived PC binds to and activates AhR, leading to inhibition of the expression of genes essential for activation of the insulin signaling pathway, including IRS-2, and its downstream genes PI3K and Akt. Together, our results reveal HFD-induced exosomes as potential contributors to the development of insulin resistance. Intestinal exosomes thus have potential as broad therapeutic targets.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adipose Tissue / metabolism
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Animals
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / metabolism
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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / pathology
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Diet, High-Fat*
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Dyslipidemias / complications
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Dyslipidemias / genetics
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Dyslipidemias / pathology
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Epithelial Cells / metabolism
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Exosomes / metabolism*
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Fatty Liver / complications
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Fatty Liver / genetics
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Fatty Liver / pathology
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Feces
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Gene Expression Regulation
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Glucose Intolerance
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Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
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Humans
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Insulin / metabolism
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Insulin Resistance / genetics*
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Interleukin-6 / blood
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Intestines / cytology
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Lipids / chemistry
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Liver / metabolism
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Liver / pathology
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Macrophage Activation
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Phosphatidylcholines / metabolism*
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Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / metabolism
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Signal Transduction
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Tetraspanin 30 / metabolism
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / blood
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Up-Regulation / genetics*
Substances
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Insulin
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Interleukin-6
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Lipids
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Phosphatidylcholines
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Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon
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Tetraspanin 30
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
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Green Fluorescent Proteins