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Methylene-bridge tryptophan fatty acylation regulates PI3K-AKT signaling and glucose uptake
Song-Hua Hu1, Xia-Di He1, Ji Nie1
1Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Institutes of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China; NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, and Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Protein fatty acylation regulates numerous cell signaling pathways. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exert a plethora of physiological effects, including cell signaling regulation, with underlying mechanisms to be fully understood. Herein, we report that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) regulate PI3K-AKT signaling by modifying PDK1 and AKT2. DHA-administered mice exhibit altered phosphorylation of proteins in signaling pathways. Methylene bridge-containing DHA/EPA acylate δ1 carbon of tryptophan 448/543 in PDK1 and tryptophan 414 in AKT2 via free radical pathway, recruit both the proteins to the cytoplasmic membrane, and activate PI3K signaling and glucose uptake in a tryptophan acylation-dependent but insulin-independent manner in cultured cells and in mice. DHA/EPA deplete cytosolic PDK1 and AKT2 and induce insulin resistance. Akt2 knockout in mice abrogates DHA/EPA-induced PI3K-AKT signaling. Our results identify PUFA's methylene bridge tryptophan acylation, a protein fatty acylation that regulates cell signaling and may underlie multifaceted effects of methylene-bridge-containing PUFAs.
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