AbstractGenetic and acquired abnormalities contribute to pancreatic β-cell failure in diabetes. Transcription factors Hnf4α (MODY1) and FoxO1 are respective examples of these two components, and are known to act through β-cell-specific enhancers. However, their relationship is unclear. Here we show by genome-wide interrogation of chromatin modifications that FoxO1 ablation in mature β-cells leads to increased selection of FoxO1 enhancers by Hnf4α. To model the functional significance we generated single and compound knockouts of FoxO1 and Hnf4α in β-cells. Single knockout of either gene impaired insulin secretion in mechanistically distinct fashions. Surprisingly, the defective β-cell secretory function of either single mutant in hyperglycemic clamps and isolated islets treated with various secretagogues, was completely reversed in double mutants. Gene expression analyses revealed the reversal of β-cell dysfunction with an antagonistic network regulating glycolysis, including β-cell “disallowed” genes; and that a synergistic network regulating protocadherins emerged as likely mediators of the functional restoration of insulin secretion. The findings provide evidence of antagonistic epistasis as a model of gene/environment interactions in the pathogenesis of β-cell dysfunction.
A hPSC-based platform to discover gene-environment interactions that impact human β-cell and dopamine neuron survival