Muscular G9a regulates muscle-liver-fat axis by musclin under overnutrition in female mice
Crosstalk among different tissues and organs is a hotspot in metabolic research. Recent studies have revealed the regulatory roles of a number of myokines in metabolism. Here, we report that female mice muscle-specific lacking histone methylase G9a (<i>Ehmt2</i><sup>Ckmm </sup>KO<i> </i>or <i>Ehmt2</i><sup>HSA</sup> KO) are resistant to high-fat-diet (HFD) induced obesity and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, we identified significantly upregulated circulating level of musclin, a myokine, in HFD-fed <i>Ehmt2</i><sup>Ckmm </sup>KO or <i>Ehmt2</i><sup>HSA</sup> KO female mice. Similarly, upregulated musclin was observed in mice injected with two structurally different inhibitors for G9a methylase activity, BIX01294 and A366. Moreover, injection of recombinant full-length musclin or its functional core domain, inhibited the HFD-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis in wildtype female and male mice. Mechanistically, G9a methylase activity-dependently regulated muscular musclin level by binding to its promoter, also by regulating p-Foxo1/Foxo1 level <i>in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i>. Collectively, these data suggested a critical role for G9a in the ‘muscle-liver-fat’ metabolic axis, at least for female mice. Musclin may serve as a potential therapeutic candidate for obesity and associated diseases.