Insulin and IGF1 signaling are important for adipose tissue development and function; however, their role in mature adipocytes is unclear. Mice with a tamoxifen-inducible knockout of insulin and/or IGF1 receptors (IR/IGF1R) demonstrate a rapid loss of white and brown fat due to increased lipolysis and adipocyte apoptosis. This results in insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, hepatosteatosis, islet hyperplasia with hyperinsulinemia, and cold intolerance. This phenotype, however, resolves over 10-30 days due to a proliferation of preadipocytes and rapid regeneration of both brown and white adipocytes as identified by mTmG lineage tracing. This cycle can be repeated with a second round of receptor inactivation. Leptin administration prior to tamoxifen treatment blocks development of the metabolic syndrome without affecting adipocyte loss or regeneration. Thus, IR is critical in adipocyte maintenance, and this loss of adipose tissue stimulates regeneration of brown/white fat and reversal of metabolic syndrome associated with fat loss.

Insulin and IGF-1 receptors (IR and IGF1R) are major regulators of metabolism and cell growth throughout the body, however, their roles in the intestine remain controversial. Here we show that genetic ablation of the IR or IGF1R in intestinal epithelial cells of mice does not impair intestinal growth or development or the composition of the gut microbiome. However, loss of IR alters intestinal epithelial gene expression, especially in pathways related to glucose uptake and metabolism. More importantly, loss of IR reduces intestinal glucose uptake. As a result, mice lacking the IR in intestinal epithelium retain normal glucose tolerance during aging as compared to controls, which show an age-dependent decline in glucose tolerance. Loss of the insulin receptor also results in a reduction of GIP expression from K-cells and decreased GIP release in vivo following glucose ingestion, but has no effect on GLP-1 expression or secretion. Thus, the IR in the intestinal epithelium plays important roles in intestinal gene expression, glucose uptake and GIP production, which may contribute to pathophysiological changes in diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other insulin resistant states.

Adipose tissue is a major site of energy storage and has a role in the regulation of metabolism through the release of adipokines. Here we show that mice with an adipose-tissue-specific knockout of the microRNA (miRNA)-processing enzyme Dicer (ADicerKO), as well as humans with lipodystrophy, exhibit a substantial decrease in levels of circulating exosomal miRNAs. Transplantation of both white and brown adipose tissue-brown especially-into ADicerKO mice restores the level of numerous circulating miRNAs that are associated with an improvement in glucose tolerance and a reduction in hepatic Fgf21 mRNA and circulating FGF21. This gene regulation can be mimicked by the administration of normal, but not ADicerKO, serum exosomes. Expression of a human-specific miRNA in the brown adipose tissue of one mouse in vivo can also regulate its 3' UTR reporter in the liver of another mouse through serum exosomal transfer. Thus, adipose tissue constitutes an important source of circulating exosomal miRNAs, which can regulate gene expression in distant tissues and thereby serve as a previously undescribed form of adipokine.

Aging increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, and this can be prevented by dietary restriction (DR). We have previously shown that DR inhibits the downregulation of miRNAs and their processing enzymes - mainly Dicer - that occurs with aging in mouse white adipose tissue (WAT). Here we used fat-specific Dicer knockout mice (AdicerKO) to understand the contributions of adipose tissue Dicer to the metabolic effects of aging and DR. Metabolomic data uncovered a clear distinction between the serum metabolite profiles of Lox control and AdicerKO mice, with a notable elevation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in AdicerKO. These profiles were associated with reduced oxidative metabolism and increased lactate in WAT of AdicerKO mice and were accompanied by structural and functional changes in mitochondria, particularly under DR. AdicerKO mice displayed increased mTORC1 activation in WAT and skeletal muscle, where Dicer expression is not affected. This was accompanied by accelerated age-associated insulin resistance and premature mortality. Moreover, DR-induced insulin sensitivity was abrogated in AdicerKO mice. This was reverted by rapamycin injection, demonstrating that insulin resistance in AdicerKO mice is caused by mTORC1 hyperactivation. Our study evidences a DR-modulated role for WAT Dicer in controlling metabolism and insulin resistance.

Scientific evidence has established several links between metabolic and neurocognitive dysfunction, and epidemiologic evidence has revealed an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in patients with diabetes. In July 2015, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases gathered experts from multiple clinical and scientific disciplines, in a workshop entitled "The Intersection of Metabolic and Neurocognitive Dysfunction", to clarify the state-of-the-science on the mechanisms linking metabolic dysfunction, and insulin resistance and diabetes in particular, to neurocognitive impairment and dementia. This perspective is intended to serve as a summary of the opinions expressed at this meeting, which focused on identifying gaps and opportunities to advance research in this emerging area with important public health relevance.

To determine the roles of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) action in adipose tissue, we created mice lacking the insulin receptor (IR), IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R), or both using Cre-recombinase driven by the adiponectin promoter. Mice lacking IGF1R only (F-IGFRKO) had a ∼25% reduction in white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), whereas mice lacking both IR and IGF1R (F-IR/IGFRKO) showed an almost complete absence of WAT and BAT. Interestingly, mice lacking only the IR (F-IRKO) had a 95% reduction in WAT, but a paradoxical 50% increase in BAT with accumulation of large unilocular lipid droplets. Both F-IRKO and F-IR/IGFRKO mice were unable to maintain body temperature in the cold and developed severe diabetes, ectopic lipid accumulation in liver and muscle, and pancreatic islet hyperplasia. Leptin treatment normalized blood glucose levels in both groups. Glucose levels also improved spontaneously by 1 year of age, despite sustained lipodystrophy and insulin resistance. Thus, loss of IR is sufficient to disrupt white fat formation, but not brown fat formation and/or maintenance, although it is required for normal BAT function and temperature homeostasis. IGF1R has only a modest contribution to both WAT and BAT formation and function.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome are multifactorial diseases dependent on a complex interaction of host genetics, diet, and other environmental factors. Increasing evidence places gut microbiota as important modulators of the crosstalk between diet and development of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. In addition, host genetics can have important impact on the composition and function of gut microbiota. Indeed, depending on the genetic background of the host, diet and other environmental factors may produce different changes in gut microbiota, have different impacts on host metabolism, and create different interactions between the microbiome and the host. SCOPE OF REVIEW: In this review, we highlight how appropriate animal models can help dissect the complex interaction of host genetics with the gut microbiome and how diet can lead to different degrees of weight gain, levels of insulin resistance, and metabolic outcomes, such as diabetes, in different individuals. We also discuss the challenges of identifying specific disease-associated microbiota and the limitations of simple metrics, such as phylogenetic diversity or the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: Understanding these complex interactions will help in the development of novel treatments for microbiome-related metabolic diseases. This article is part of a special issue on microbiota.