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International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2019Hundred years after the discovery of glucagon, its biology remains enigmatic. Accurate measurement of glucagon has been essential for uncovering its pathological... (Review)
Review
Hundred years after the discovery of glucagon, its biology remains enigmatic. Accurate measurement of glucagon has been essential for uncovering its pathological hypersecretion that underlies various metabolic diseases including not only diabetes and liver diseases but also cancers (glucagonomas). The suggested key role of glucagon in the development of diabetes has been termed the bihormonal hypothesis. However, studying tissue-specific knockout of the glucagon receptor has revealed that the physiological role of glucagon may extend beyond blood-glucose regulation. Decades ago, animal and human studies reported an important role of glucagon in amino acid metabolism through ureagenesis. Using modern technologies such as metabolomic profiling, knowledge about the effects of glucagon on amino acid metabolism has been expanded and the mechanisms involved further delineated. Glucagon receptor antagonists have indirectly put focus on glucagon's potential role in lipid metabolism, as individuals treated with these antagonists showed dyslipidemia and increased hepatic fat. One emerging field in glucagon biology now seems to include the concept of hepatic glucagon resistance. Here, we discuss the roles of glucagon in glucose homeostasis, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism and present speculations on the molecular pathways causing and associating with postulated hepatic glucagon resistance.
Topics: Amino Acids; Animals; Biomarkers; Glucagon; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Receptors, Glucagon; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 31284506
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20133314 -
Cell Metabolism Nov 2022The evolution of glucagon has seen the transition from an impurity in the preparation of insulin to the development of glucagon receptor agonists for use in type 1... (Review)
Review
The evolution of glucagon has seen the transition from an impurity in the preparation of insulin to the development of glucagon receptor agonists for use in type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, glucagon receptor antagonists have been explored to reduce glycemia thought to be induced by hyperglucagonemia. However, the catabolic actions of glucagon are currently being leveraged to target the rise in obesity that paralleled that of diabetes, bringing the pharmacology of glucagon full circle. During this evolution, the physiological importance of glucagon advanced beyond the control of hepatic glucose production, incorporating critical roles for glucagon to regulate both lipid and amino acid metabolism. Thus, it is unsurprising that the study of glucagon has left several paradoxes that make it difficult to distill this hormone down to a simplified action. Here, we describe the history of glucagon from the past to the present and suggest some direction to the future of this field.
Topics: Humans; Glucagon; Receptors, Glucagon; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Insulin; Glucagon-Secreting Cells
PubMed: 36323234
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.10.001 -
Physiological Reviews Apr 2017In the last two decades we have witnessed sizable progress in defining the role of gastrointestinal signals in the control of glucose and energy homeostasis.... (Review)
Review
In the last two decades we have witnessed sizable progress in defining the role of gastrointestinal signals in the control of glucose and energy homeostasis. Specifically, the molecular basis of the huge metabolic benefits in bariatric surgery is emerging while novel incretin-based medicines based on endogenous hormones such as glucagon-like peptide 1 and pancreas-derived amylin are improving diabetes management. These and related developments have fostered the discovery of novel insights into endocrine control of systemic metabolism, and in particular a deeper understanding of the importance of communication across vital organs, and specifically the gut-brain-pancreas-liver network. Paradoxically, the pancreatic peptide glucagon has reemerged in this period among a plethora of newly identified metabolic macromolecules, and new data complement and challenge its historical position as a gut hormone involved in metabolic control. The synthesis of glucagon analogs that are biophysically stable and soluble in aqueous solutions has promoted biological study that has enriched our understanding of glucagon biology and ironically recruited glucagon agonism as a central element to lower body weight in the treatment of metabolic disease. This review summarizes the extensive historical record and the more recent provocative direction that integrates the prominent role of glucagon in glucose elevation with its under-acknowledged effects on lipids, body weight, and vascular health that have implications for the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases, and the emergence of precision medicines to treat metabolic diseases.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Gastrointestinal Tract; Glucagon; Homeostasis; Humans; Liver; Metabolic Diseases; Pancreas
PubMed: 28275047
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00025.2016 -
Peptides Jul 2023Within recent decades glucagon receptor (GcgR) agonism has drawn attention as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In both mice and... (Review)
Review
Within recent decades glucagon receptor (GcgR) agonism has drawn attention as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In both mice and humans, glucagon administration enhances energy expenditure and suppresses food intake suggesting a promising metabolic utility. Therefore synthetic optimization of glucagon-based pharmacology to further resolve the physiological and cellular underpinnings mediating these effects has advanced. Chemical modifications to the glucagon sequence have allowed for greater peptide solubility, stability, circulating half-life, and understanding of the structure-function potential behind partial and "super"-agonists. The knowledge gained from such modifications has provided a basis for the development of long-acting glucagon analogues, chimeric unimolecular dual- and tri-agonists, and novel strategies for nuclear hormone targeting into glucagon receptor-expressing tissues. In this review, we summarize the developments leading toward the current advanced state of glucagon-based pharmacology, while highlighting the associated biological and therapeutic effects in the context of diabetes and obesity.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mice; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Obesity; Receptors, Glucagon
PubMed: 36997003
DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171003 -
Physiological Reviews Apr 2015The preproglucagon gene (Gcg) is expressed by specific enteroendocrine cells (L-cells) of the intestinal mucosa, pancreatic islet α-cells, and a discrete set of neurons... (Review)
Review
The preproglucagon gene (Gcg) is expressed by specific enteroendocrine cells (L-cells) of the intestinal mucosa, pancreatic islet α-cells, and a discrete set of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract. Gcg encodes multiple peptides including glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1, glucagon-like peptide-2, oxyntomodulin, and glicentin. Of these, glucagon and GLP-1 have received the most attention because of important roles in glucose metabolism, involvement in diabetes and other disorders, and application to therapeutics. The generally accepted model is that GLP-1 improves glucose homeostasis indirectly via stimulation of nutrient-induced insulin release and by reducing glucagon secretion. Yet the body of literature surrounding GLP-1 physiology reveals an incompletely understood and complex system that includes peripheral and central GLP-1 actions to regulate energy and glucose homeostasis. On the other hand, glucagon is established principally as a counterregulatory hormone, increasing in response to physiological challenges that threaten adequate blood glucose levels and driving glucose production to restore euglycemia. However, there also exists a potential role for glucagon in regulating energy expenditure that has recently been suggested in pharmacological studies. It is also becoming apparent that there is cross-talk between the proglucagon derived-peptides, e.g., GLP-1 inhibits glucagon secretion, and some additive or synergistic pharmacological interaction between GLP-1 and glucagon, e.g., dual glucagon/GLP-1 agonists cause more weight loss than single agonists. In this review, we discuss the physiological functions of both glucagon and GLP-1 by comparing and contrasting how these peptides function, variably in concert and opposition, to regulate glucose and energy homeostasis.
Topics: Animals; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus; Energy Metabolism; Enteroendocrine Cells; Gene Expression Regulation; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Glucagon-Secreting Cells; Homeostasis; Humans; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 25834231
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00013.2014 -
Comprehensive Physiology Apr 2021Discovered almost simultaneously with insulin, glucagon is a pleiotropic hormone with metabolic action that goes far beyond its classical role to increase blood glucose....
Discovered almost simultaneously with insulin, glucagon is a pleiotropic hormone with metabolic action that goes far beyond its classical role to increase blood glucose. Albeit best known for its ability to directly act on the liver to increase de novo glucose production and to inhibit glycogen breakdown, glucagon lowers body weight by decreasing food intake and by increasing metabolic rate. Glucagon further promotes lipolysis and lipid oxidation and has positive chronotropic and inotropic effects in the heart. Interestingly, recent decades have witnessed a remarkable renaissance of glucagon's biology with the acknowledgment that glucagon has pharmacological value beyond its classical use as rescue medication to treat severe hypoglycemia. In this article, we summarize the multifaceted nature of glucagon with a special focus on its hepatic action and discuss the pharmacological potential of either agonizing or antagonizing the glucagon receptor for health and disease. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1759-1783, 2021.
Topics: Blood Glucose; Glucagon; Glucose; Humans; Insulin; Liver
PubMed: 33792899
DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c200013 -
Molecular Metabolism Dec 2022Treatment with glucagon receptor antagonists (GRAs) reduces blood glucose but causes dyslipidemia and accumulation of fat in the liver. We investigated the acute and...
OBJECTIVE
Treatment with glucagon receptor antagonists (GRAs) reduces blood glucose but causes dyslipidemia and accumulation of fat in the liver. We investigated the acute and chronic effects of glucagon on lipid metabolism in mice.
METHODS
Chronic effects of glucagon receptor signaling on lipid metabolism were studied using oral lipid tolerance tests (OLTTs) in overnight fasted glucagon receptor knockout (Gcgr) mice, and in C57Bl/6JRj mice treated with a glucagon receptor antibody (GCGR Ab) or a long-acting glucagon analogue (GCGA) for eight weeks. Following treatment, liver tissue was harvested for RNA-sequencing and triglyceride measurements. Acute effects were studied in C57Bl/6JRj mice treated with a GRA or GCGA 1 h or immediately before OLTTs, respectively. Direct effects of glucagon on hepatic lipolysis were studied using isolated perfused mouse liver preparations. To investigate potential effects of GCGA and GRA on gastric emptying, paracetamol was, in separate experiments, administered immediately before OLTTs.
RESULTS
Plasma triglyceride concentrations increased 2-fold in Gcgr mice compared to their wild-type littermates during the OLTT (P = 0.001). Chronic treatment with GCGR Ab increased, whereas GCGA treatment decreased, plasma triglyceride concentrations during OLTTs (P < 0.05). Genes involved in lipid metabolism were upregulated upon GCGR Ab treatment while GCGA treatment had opposite effects. Acute GRA and GCGA treatment, respectively, increased (P = 0.02) and decreased (P = 0.003) plasma triglyceride concentrations during OLTTs. Glucagon stimulated hepatic lipolysis, evident by an increase in free fatty acid concentrations in the effluent from perfused mouse livers. In line with this, GCGR Ab treatment increased, while GCGA treatment decreased, liver triglyceride concentrations. The effects of glucagon appeared independent of changes in gastric emptying of paracetamol.
CONCLUSIONS
Glucagon receptor signaling regulates triglyceride metabolism, both chronically and acutely, in mice. These data expand glucagon´s biological role and implicate that intact glucagon signaling is important for lipid metabolism. Glucagon agonism may have beneficial effects on hepatic and peripheral triglyceride metabolism.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Acetaminophen; Glucagon; Lipid Metabolism; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Receptors, Glucagon; Triglycerides
PubMed: 36400402
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101639 -
Cell Mar 2023Receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) modulate the activity of many Family B GPCRs. We show that RAMP2 directly interacts with the glucagon receptor (GCGR), a...
Receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) modulate the activity of many Family B GPCRs. We show that RAMP2 directly interacts with the glucagon receptor (GCGR), a Family B GPCR responsible for blood sugar homeostasis, and broadly inhibits receptor-induced downstream signaling. HDX-MS experiments demonstrate that RAMP2 enhances local flexibility in select locations in and near the receptor extracellular domain (ECD) and in the 6 transmembrane helix, whereas smFRET experiments show that this ECD disorder results in the inhibition of active and intermediate states of the intracellular surface. We determined the cryo-EM structure of the GCGR-G complex at 2.9 Å resolution in the presence of RAMP2. RAMP2 apparently does not interact with GCGR in an ordered manner; however, the receptor ECD is indeed largely disordered along with rearrangements of several intracellular hallmarks of activation. Our studies suggest that RAMP2 acts as a negative allosteric modulator of GCGR by enhancing conformational sampling of the ECD.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Glucagon; Receptors, Glucagon; Receptor Activity-Modifying Protein 2
PubMed: 37001505
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.02.028 -
The Journal of Endocrinology Sep 2023Since the discovery of glucagon 100 years ago, the hormone and the pancreatic islet alpha cells that produce it have remained enigmatic relative to insulin-producing...
Since the discovery of glucagon 100 years ago, the hormone and the pancreatic islet alpha cells that produce it have remained enigmatic relative to insulin-producing beta cells. Canonically, alpha cells have been described in the context of glucagon's role in glucose metabolism in liver, with glucose as the primary nutrient signal regulating alpha cell function. However, current data reveal a more holistic model of metabolic signalling, involving glucagon-regulated metabolism of multiple nutrients by the liver and other tissues, including amino acids and lipids, providing reciprocal feedback to regulate glucagon secretion and even alpha cell mass. Here we describe how various nutrients are sensed, transported and metabolised in alpha cells, providing an integrative model for the metabolic regulation of glucagon secretion and action. Importantly, we discuss where these nutrient-sensing pathways intersect to regulate alpha cell function and highlight key areas for future research.
Topics: Glucagon; Glucagon-Secreting Cells; Glucose; Signal Transduction; Liver; Insulin
PubMed: 37523232
DOI: 10.1530/JOE-23-0081 -
Nature Feb 2024Many peptide hormones form an α-helix on binding their receptors, and sensitive methods for their detection could contribute to better clinical management of disease....
Many peptide hormones form an α-helix on binding their receptors, and sensitive methods for their detection could contribute to better clinical management of disease. De novo protein design can now generate binders with high affinity and specificity to structured proteins. However, the design of interactions between proteins and short peptides with helical propensity is an unmet challenge. Here we describe parametric generation and deep learning-based methods for designing proteins to address this challenge. We show that by extending RFdiffusion to enable binder design to flexible targets, and to refining input structure models by successive noising and denoising (partial diffusion), picomolar-affinity binders can be generated to helical peptide targets by either refining designs generated with other methods, or completely de novo starting from random noise distributions without any subsequent experimental optimization. The RFdiffusion designs enable the enrichment and subsequent detection of parathyroid hormone and glucagon by mass spectrometry, and the construction of bioluminescence-based protein biosensors. The ability to design binders to conformationally variable targets, and to optimize by partial diffusion both natural and designed proteins, should be broadly useful.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Computer-Aided Design; Deep Learning; Diffusion; Glucagon; Luminescent Measurements; Mass Spectrometry; Parathyroid Hormone; Peptides; Protein Structure, Secondary; Proteins; Substrate Specificity; Models, Molecular
PubMed: 38109936
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06953-1