scholarly journals ROLE OF GSK-3 IN Wnt/β-CATENIN SIGNALING PATHWAY IN OBESITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-780
Author(s):  
A. S. Kulakova ◽  
I. A. Snimshchikova ◽  
M. O. Plotnikova

The complexity of the adipogenesis mechanism results from the impact of multiple cues, among which an important place is held by the components of the Wnt signaling pathway. The search for potential markers of the development of diseases related to obesity aroused an interest in the study of GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase), β-catenin. GSK-3β is an intracellular serine / threonine kinase found in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, synthesized in all body tissues and involved in regulating metabolic processes, cell proliferation, apoptosis etc. The first of the discovered functions of GSK-3β was the regulation of glycogen synthesis. Active GSK-3β phosphorylates and thereby inhibits glycogen synthase. As a result of the insulin binding to the cell receptor via inositol-3-phosphate, protein kinase B (Akt1) is activated, which, in turn, phosphorylates and inhibits GSK-3β. In addition, GSK-3β is involved in the regulating glucose metabolism. The most important function of GSK-3β is the inhibition of the β-catenin protein. In a resting cell, GSK-3β in complex with the APC and Axin proteins binds and phosphorylates the β-catenin transcription factor, which leads to its ubiquitination and degradation. When Wnt proteins act on the cell, the Dvl protein is activated, which, by binding to GSK-3β, releases β-catenin, preventing its degradation, however, the role of GSK3α/β in the adipocyte inflammatory response has not yet been fully investigated, therefore it seems promising to study the role of GSK-3 in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in obesityThe aim of the study was to assess the activity of the components of the Wnt signaling pathway in obese patients by measuring the serum level of GSK-3 and β-catenin. There were enrolled 32 patients with progressive forms of I-III degree obesity in the absence of diabetes mellitus. The concentration of serum GSK-3α, GSK-3β, and β-catenin was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Data are presented as absolute and relative (%) number of patients; arithmetic mean; medians, 1 and 3 quartiles – Ме (Q0.25-Q0.75). Obese patients contained a 7.5-fold increased serum level of GSK-3α (785 (371-1317.5) pg/ml) compared to healthy individuals 105 (102.5-110) pg/ml, (p < 0.001), paralleled with increased amount of GSK-3β, which level in obese patients was 295 (190-695) pg/ml, which is by 18.3% higher than those in healthy individuals 241 (218.75-287.5) pg/ml, p = 0.111. Amount of GSK-3 depending on the degree of obesity tended to increase, most often coupled to decreased β-catenin level which is consistent with the literature data and can be considered as a prognostic criterion for the course of pathological processes in obesity. 

2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (4) ◽  
pp. C853-C859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin D. Armstrong ◽  
Karyn A. Esser

β-Catenin is a transcriptional activator shown to regulate the embryonic, postnatal, and oncogenic growth of many tissues. In most research to date, β-catenin activation has been the unique downstream function of the Wnt signaling pathway. However, in the heart, a Wnt-independent mechanism involving Akt-mediated phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β was recently shown to activate β-catenin and regulate cardiomyocyte growth. In this study, results have identified the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway during hypertrophy of mechanically overloaded skeletal muscle. Significant increases in β-catenin were determined during skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In addition, the Wnt receptor, mFrizzled (mFzd)-1, the signaling mediator disheveled-1, and the transcriptional co-activator, lymphocyte enhancement factor (Lef)-1, are all increased during hypertrophy of the overloaded mouse plantaris muscle. Experiments also determined an increased association between GSK-3β and the inhibitory frequently rearranged in advanced T cell-1 protein with no increase in GSK-3β phosphorylation (Ser9). Finally, skeletal muscle overload resulted in increased nuclear β-catenin/Lef-1 expression and induction of the transcriptional targets c-Myc, cyclin D1, and paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2. Thus this study provides the first evidence that the Wnt signaling pathway induces β-catenin/Lef-1 activation of growth-control genes during overload induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 164 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza Ciani ◽  
Olga Krylova ◽  
Matthew J. Smalley ◽  
Trevor C. Dale ◽  
Patricia C. Salinas

Dishevelled (DVL) is associated with axonal microtubules and regulates microtubule stability through the inhibition of the serine/threonine kinase, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β). In the canonical WNT pathway, the negative regulator Axin forms a complex with β-catenin and GSK-3β, resulting in β-catenin degradation. Inhibition of GSK-3β by DVL increases β-catenin stability and TCF transcriptional activation. Here, we show that Axin associates with microtubules and unexpectedly stabilizes microtubules through DVL. In turn, DVL stabilizes microtubules by inhibiting GSK-3β through a transcription- and β-catenin–independent pathway. More importantly, axonal microtubules are stabilized after DVL localizes to axons. Increased microtubule stability is correlated with a decrease in GSK-3β–mediated phosphorylation of MAP-1B. We propose a model in which Axin, through DVL, stabilizes microtubules by inhibiting a pool of GSK-3β, resulting in local changes in the phosphorylation of cellular targets. Our data indicate a bifurcation in the so-called canonical WNT-signaling pathway to regulate microtubule stability.


Author(s):  
Samoylova A.V. ◽  
Snimshchikova I.A. ◽  
Plotnikova M.O. ◽  
Yakushkina N.Y.

Alopecia is a common pathology among the active population, which leads not only to cosmetic defects, but also to the development of somatic diseases against the background of traumatic effects and chronic stress. The pathogenetic mechanisms of hair follicle formation are complex and diverse, since numerous factors, including the components of the Wnt signaling pathway, have an effect on its morphogenesis, the study of which is the subject of this study. The search for possible early markers of the development of alopecia led to interest in the study of the main morphogenic proteins of WNT - the signaling pathway (one of the intracellular signaling pathways, which control the development of blood vessels, as well as the growth and division of hair follicle cells) sclerostin and β-catenin among patients with androgenic and alopecia areata. The article presents data on the quantitative content of β-catenin and sclerostin in the blood serum in patients with androgenic and alopecia areata. Their possible pathways of complex interaction and influence on the morphogenesis of the hair follicle and the activity of the Wnt-signaling pathway have been analyzed, and the relationship between changes in the level of morphogenic proteins of the WNT-signaling pathway with sex and the course of the disease has been described. Establishment of the prognostic role of morphogenic proteins of the WNT signaling pathway in androgenic and alopecia areata will allow not only identify the personal risk of disease progression and to determine approaches to targeted therapy, but to develop and introduce updated diagnostic screening into dermatological practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chu-Chih Hung ◽  
Amy Chaya ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Konstantinos Verdelis ◽  
Charles Sfeir

2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (2) ◽  
pp. C189-C199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Tian-Mei Li ◽  
Xue-Ru Liu ◽  
Yi-Ping Bai ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
...  

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome resulting from infection. This study aimed at exploring the role of microRNA-140 (miR-140) in septic mice. Wnt family member 11 (WNT11) was verified to be a target gene of miR-140 after bioinformatic prediction and dual luciferase reporter gene assay. Importantly, miR-140 negatively regulated WNT11. We initially induced the model of sepsis by endotoxin, and then ectopic expression and knockdown experiments were performed to explore the functional role of miR-140 in sepsis. Additionally, cross-sectional areas of muscle fiber, lactic acid production, 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine (Tyr) production in extensor digitorium longus (EDL) muscles, and serum levels of inflammatory factors were examined. The effect of miR-140 on the expression of WNT signaling pathway-related and apoptosis-related factors in skeletal muscle tissue was determined. The experimental results indicated that upregulated miR-140 or silenced WNT11 increased cross-sectional areas of muscle fiber while decreasing lactic acid production, skeletal muscle cell apoptosis [corresponding to downregulated B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax) and caspase-3 and upregulated Bcl-2], and the proteolytic rate of Tyr and 3-MH. Also, overexpressed miR-140 or silenced WNT11 reduced inflammation as reflected by decreased serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-140 was shown to suppress the activation of the WNT signaling pathway, accompanied by decreased expression of WNT11, β-catenin, and GSK-3β. Taken together, upregulation of miR-140 could potentially inhibit skeletal muscle lactate release, an indirect measure of glycolysis, and atrophy in septic mice through suppressing the WNT signaling pathway via inhibiting WNT11 expression.


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