skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Insulin receptor-mediated signaling regulates pluripotency markers and lineage differentiation

Journal Article · · Molecular Metabolism

Objectives: Insulin receptor (IR)-mediated signaling is involved in the regulation of pluripotent stem cells, however, its direct effects on regulating the maintenance of pluripotency and lineage development are not fully understood. The main objective of this study is to understand the role of IR signaling in pluripotency and lineage development. Methods: To explore the role of IR signaling, we generated IR knock-out (IRKO) mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) from E14.5 mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) of global IRKO mice using a cocktail of four reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, cMyc). We performed pluripotency characterization and directed differentiation of control and IR-KO iPSCs into neural progenitors (ectoderm), adipocyte progenitors (mesoderm) and pancreatic beta-like cells (endoderm). We mechanistically confirmed these findings via phosphoproteomics analyses of control and IR-KO iPSCs. Results: Interestingly, expression of pluripotency markers including Klf4, Lin28a, Tbx3 and cMyc were upregulated while abundance of Oct4 and Nanog were enhanced by 4-fold and 3-fold respectively in IRKO iPSCs. Analyses of signaling pathways demonstrated downregulation of phospho-STAT3, p-mTor and p-Erk, and an increase in the total mTor and Erk proteins in IRKO iPSCs at basal level. Stimulation with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) showed a ~33% decrease of phospho-ERK in IRKO iPSCs. On the contrary, Erk phosphorylation was increased during in vitro spontaneous differentiation of iPSCs lacking IRs. Lineage-specific directed differentiation of the iPSCs revealed that cells lacking IR showed enhanced expression of neuronal lineage markers (Pax6, Tubb3, Ascl1 and Oligo2) while exhibiting a decrease in adipocyte (Fas, Acc, Ppar?, Fabp4, C/ebpa and Fsp27) and pancreatic beta cell markers (Ngn3, Isl1 and Sox9). Further molecular characterization by phosphoproteomics confirmed the novel IR-mediated regulation of the global pluripotency network and several key proteins involved in diverse aspects of growth and embryonic development. Conclusion: We report, for the first time to our knowledge, the phosphoproteome of insulin, IGF1 and LIF stimulation in mouse iPSCs and reveal the importance of insulin receptor signaling for the maintenance of pluripotency and lineage determination.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Fuel Cell Technologies Office; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL0 1830; SFRH/BD/51699/2011; AC05-76RL01830; 3-APF-2017-393-A-N; R01 DK67536; R01 DK103215; UC4 DK104167; DP3 DK110844; R01DK077097; R01DK102898; #1-18-PDF-169
OSTI ID:
1772093
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1480130; OSTI ID: 1507758
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-136923; S2212877818306999; PII: S2212877818306999
Journal Information:
Molecular Metabolism, Journal Name: Molecular Metabolism Vol. 18 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 2212-8778
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (49)

Extracellular-matrix tethering regulates stem-cell fate journal May 2012
In vitro reprogramming of fibroblasts into a pluripotent ES-cell-like state journal June 2007
Conversion of embryonic stem cells into neuroectodermal precursors in adherent monoculture journal January 2003
THRAP3 Interacts with HELZ2 and Plays a Novel Role in Adipocyte Differentiation journal May 2013
Highly efficient differentiation of embryonic stem cells into adipocytes by ascorbic acid journal July 2014
Insulin resistance and white adipose tissue inflammation are uncoupled in energetically challenged Fsp27-deficient mice journal January 2015
Excessive Cellular Proliferation Negatively Impacts Reprogramming Efficiency of Human Fibroblasts: Proliferation Affects Reprogramming in Human Cells journal August 2015
A Layered Grammar of Graphics journal January 2010
KDM5B regulates embryonic stem cell self-renewal and represses cryptic intragenic transcription: KDM5B regulates ESC self-renewal journal March 2011
Insulin Redirects Differentiation from Cardiogenic Mesoderm and Endoderm to Neuroectoderm in Differentiating Human Embryonic Stem Cells journal March 2008
Efficient Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Cells journal January 2012
 40p53 controls the switch from pluripotency to differentiation by regulating IGF signaling in ESCs journal November 2010
Tissue-Specific Knockout of the Insulin Receptor in Pancreatic β Cells Creates an Insulin Secretory Defect Similar to that in Type 2 Diabetes journal February 1999
Developmental regulation and the role of insulin and insulin receptor in metanephrogenesis journal June 1997
Sec61beta, a subunit of the protein translocation channel, is required during Drosophila development journal December 1999
A potential role for insulin-like growth factor signaling in induction of pluripotent stem cell formation journal December 2010
Embryonic stem cell self-renewal pathways converge on the transcription factor Tfcp2l1 journal August 2013
Loss of Insulin Signaling in Hepatocytes Leads to Severe Insulin Resistance and Progressive Hepatic Dysfunction journal July 2000
Insulin-Like Growth Factors Promote Vasculogenesis in Embryonic Stem Cells journal February 2012
Self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells requires insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and ERBB2 receptor signaling journal December 2007
The Insulin Receptor Is Required for the Development of the Drosophila Peripheral Nervous System journal September 2013
Genetic Insulin Resistance Is a Potent Regulator of Gene Expression and Proliferation in Human iPS Cells journal July 2014
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Generation Using a Single Lentiviral Stem Cell Cassette journal March 2009
Critical nodes in signalling pathways: insights into insulin action journal February 2006
Mutations in SMG9, Encoding an Essential Component of Nonsense-Mediated Decay Machinery, Cause a Multiple Congenital Anomaly Syndrome in Humans and Mice journal April 2016
Collaborative rewiring of the pluripotency network by chromatin and signalling modulating pathways journal February 2015
Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) withdrawal activates mTOR signaling pathway in mouse embryonic stem cells through the MEK/ERK/TSC2 pathway journal January 2016
Preserved DNA Damage Checkpoint Pathway Protects against Complications in Long-Standing Type 1 Diabetes journal August 2015
Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Embryonic and Adult Fibroblast Cultures by Defined Factors journal August 2006
Insulin and igfs enhance hepatocyte differentiation from human embryonic stem cells via the PI3K/AKT pathway: Insulin and IGFs Enhance Hepatic Differentiation journal October 2013
Receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin receptor substrate-1 mediate pathways that regulate islet function journal April 2002
Pwp1 Is Required for the Differentiation Potential of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Through Regulating S tat3 Signaling: Roles of Pwp 1 in Differentiation Potential of ESCs journal February 2015
Quantitative expression of Oct-3/4 defines differentiation, dedifferentiation or self-renewal of ES cells journal April 2000
limma powers differential expression analyses for RNA-sequencing and microarray studies journal January 2015
Erk signaling is indispensable for genomic stability and self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells journal October 2015
Insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 regulates murine embryonic stem (mES) cells self-renewal journal January 2007
The Role of C/EBP Genes in Adipocyte Differentiation journal November 1998
IGF and FGF cooperatively establish the regulatory stem cell niche of pluripotent human cells in vitro journal July 2007
Rif1 Maintains Telomere Length Homeostasis of ESCs by Mediating Heterochromatin Silencing journal April 2014
Insulin Inhibits Cardiac Mesoderm, Not Mesendoderm, Formation During Cardiac Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Modulation of Canonical Wnt Signaling Can Rescue This Inhibition journal February 2013
Impaired thermogenesis and adipose tissue development in mice with fat-specific disruption of insulin and IGF-1 signalling journal January 2012
Bioconductor: open software development for computational biology and bioinformatics journal September 2004
IGF signaling directs ventricular cardiomyocyte proliferation during embryonic heart development journal March 2011
Distinct Lineage Specification Roles for NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2 in Human Embryonic Stem Cells journal April 2012
The Lin28/let-7 Axis Regulates Glucose Metabolism journal September 2011
Derivation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Patients with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young* journal February 2013
MEK/ERK signaling contributes to the maintenance of human embryonic stem cell self-renewal journal April 2007
Distinct and Overlapping Functions of Insulin and IGF-I Receptors journal December 2001
ROAST: rotation gene set tests for complex microarray experiments journal July 2010