Date of Award
8-13-2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Current treatments for type 1 diabetes (T1D) focus on insulin replacement. We demonstrate the therapeutic potential of a secreted protein fraction from embryonic brown adipose tissue (BAT), independent of insulin. The large molecular weight secreted fraction mediates insulin receptor-dependent recovery of euglycemia in a T1D animal model, nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, by suppressing glucagon secretion. This fraction also promotes white adipocyte differentiation and browning, maintains healthy BAT, and enhances glucose uptake in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. From this fraction, we identify nidogen-2 as a critical BAT-secreted protein that reverses hyperglycemia in NOD mice, inhibits glucagon secretion from pancreatic α-cells, and mimics other actions of the entire secreted fraction. These findings confirm that BAT transplants affect physiology and demonstrate that BAT-secreted peptides represent a novel therapeutic approach to diabetes management. Furthermore, our research reveals a novel signaling role for nidogen-2, beyond its traditional classification as an extracellular matrix protein.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
David Piston
Committee Members
Clair Crewe; Heather Lawson; Irfan Lodhi; Nada Abumrad
Recommended Citation
Lee, Jeongmin, "Insulin-Independent Regulation of Type 1 Diabetes via Large Brown Adipocyte-Secreted Proteins and the Novel Glucagon Regulator, Nidogen2" (2024). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3305.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/3305