Matthew F Waters, Viviane Delghingaro-Augusto, Muhammad Shamoon, Kiran Javed, Gaetan Burgio, Jane E Dahlstrom, Stefan Bröer, Christopher J Nolan
Endocrinology, Volume 166, Issue 3, March 2025, bqaf016
https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaf016
The obesity epidemic parallels an increasing type 1 diabetes incidence, such that westernized diets, containing high fat, sugar, and/or protein, through inducing nutrient-induced islet β-cell stress, have been proposed as contributing factors. The broad-spectrum neutral amino acid transporter (B0AT1), encoded by Slc6a19, is the major neutral amino acids transporter in intestine and kidney. B0AT1 deficiency in C567Bl/6J mice causes aminoaciduria, lowers insulinemia, and improves glucose tolerance.
We investigated the effects of standard rodent chow (chow), high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS), and high-fat high-protein (HFHP) diets, in addition to B0AT1 deficiency, on the diabetes incidence of male nonobese diabetic (NOD/ShiLtJArc (NOD)) mice.
Male NOD.Slc6a19+/+ and NOD.Slc6a19−/− mice were fed chow, HFHS and HFHP diets from 6 to 24 weeks of age. A separate cohort of male NOD mice were fed the three diets from 6-30 weeks of age. Body weight and fed-state blood glucose and plasma insulin were monitored, and urinary amino-acid profiles, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance, diabetes incidence, pancreatic islet number, insulitis scores and beta-cell mass were measured.
The incidence of diabetes and severe glucose intolerance was 3.8% in HFHS-fed, 25.0% in HFHP-fed, and 14.7% in chow-fed mice, with higher pancreatic islet number and lower insulitis scores in HFHS-fed mice. B0AT1 deficiency had no effect on diabetes incidence, but curtailed HFHS-induced excessive weight gain, adipose tissue expansion, and hyperinsulinemia. In HFHP-fed mice, B0AT1 deficiency significantly increased pancreatic β-cell clusters and small islets. Male NOD mice that did not develop autoimmune diabetes were resistant to diet-induced hyperglycemia.
Dietary composition does, but B0AT1 deficiency does not, affect autoimmune diabetes incidence in male NOD mice. B0AT1 deficiency, however, reduces diet-induced metabolic dysfunction and in HFHP-fed mice increases pancreatic β-cell clusters and small islets.
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