title: Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3), a potential mediator of interleukin-6-dependent insulin resistance in hepatocytes.
abstract: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of several pro-inflammatory cytokines implicated in insulin resistance during infection, cachexia, and obesity. We recently demonstrated that IL-6 inhibits insulin signaling in hepatocytes (Senn, J. J., Klover, P. J., Nowak, I. A., and Mooney, R. A. (2002) Diabetes 51, 3391-3399). Members of the suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family associate with the insulin receptor (IR), and their ectopic expression inhibits IR signaling. Since several SOCS proteins are induced by IL-6, a working hypothesis is that IL-6-dependent insulin resistance is mediated, at least in part, by induction of SOCS protein(s) in insulin target cells. To examine the involvement of SOCS protein(s) in IL-6-dependent inhibition of insulin receptor signaling, HepG2 cells were treated with IL-6 (20 ng/ml) for periods from 1 min to 8 h. IL-6 induced SOCS-3 transcript at 30 min with a maximum effect at 1 h. SOCS-3 protein levels were also markedly elevated at 1 h. Transcript and protein levels returned to near basal levels by 2 h. SOCS-3 induction by IL-6 paralleled IL-6-dependent inhibition of IR signal transduction. Ectopically expressed SOCS-3 associated with the IR and suppressed insulin-dependent receptor autophosphorylation, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) tyrosine phosphorylation, association of IRS-1 with the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and activation of Akt. SOCS-3 was also a direct inhibitor of insulin receptor autophosphorylation in vitro. In mice exposed to IL-6 for 60-90 min, hepatic SOCS-3 expression was increased. This was associated with inhibition of hepatic insulin-dependent receptor autophosphorylation and IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. These data suggest that induction of SOCS-3 in liver may be an important mechanism of IL-6-mediated insulin resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, New York 14642, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Senn
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Klover
authors.forename: Irena A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Zimmers
authors.forename: Leonidas G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Koniaris
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Furlanetto
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mooney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000071223:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011972:Receptor, Insulin; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D000071223:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C106644:SOCS3 protein, human; C491411:Socs3 protein, mouse; C494918:AKT1 protein, human