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The orphan receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP; NROB2) is a transcriptional repressor that inhibits nuclear receptor signaling in diverse metabolic pathways. Here, we report that SHP−/− mice exhibited hypoinsulinemia with age, which was associated with increased peripheral insulin sensitivity and increased response of isolated islets to glucose stimulation, yet maintain normal levels of blood glucose. Deficiency in SHP function resulted in up-regulation of glucose transporter 4 mRNA and glucose uptake in muscles, and overexpression of SHP in C2C12 cells inhibited both basal and peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivator-1α-stimulated glucose transporter 4 expression and glucose uptake. SHP−/− hepatocytes showed markedly decreased basal glucose production in cultures, and SHP−/− livers had increased glycogen stores and were more sensitive to insulin inhibition of glucose output, which were concomitant with decreased expression for PPARγ1, fatty acid translocase, glucose-6-phospha...

The highly developed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structure of pancreatic β-cells is a key factor in β-cell function. Here we examined whether ER stress-induced activation of activating transcription factor (ATF)-6 impairs insulin gene expression via up-regulation of the orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP; NR0B2), which has been shown to play a role in β-cell dysfunction. We examined whether ER stress decreases insulin gene expression, and this process is mediated by ATF6. A small interfering RNA that targeted SHP was used to determine whether the effect of ATF6 on insulin gene expression is mediated by SHP. We also measured the expression level of ATF6 in pancreatic islets in Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty rats, a rodent model of type 2 diabetes. High glucose concentration (30 mmol/liter glucose) increased ER stress in INS-1 cells. ER stress induced by tunicamycin, thapsigargin, or dithiotreitol decreased insulin gene transcription. ATF6 inhibited insulin promoter activity, whereas X-box binding protein-1 and ATF4 did not. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of active form of ATF6 in INS-1 cells impaired insulin gene expression and secretion. ATF6 also down-regulated pancreatic duodenal homeobox factor-1 and RIPE3b1/MafA gene expression and repressed the cooperative action of pancreatic duodenal homeobox factor-1, RIPE3b1/MafA, and β-cell E box transactivator 2 in stimulating insulin transcription. The ATF6-induced suppression of insulin gene expression was associated with up-regulation of SHP gene expression. Finally, we found that expression of ATF6 was increased in the pancreatic islets of diabetic Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty rats, compared with their lean, nondiabetic counterparts, Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka rats. Collectively, this study shows that ER stress-induced activation of ATF6 plays an important role in the development of β-cell dysfunction.

The orphan receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP; NROB2) is a transcriptional repressor that inhibits nuclear receptor signaling in diverse metabolic pathways. Here, we report that SHP(-/-) mice exhibited hypoinsulinemia with age, which was associated with increased peripheral insulin sensitivity and increased response of isolated islets to glucose stimulation, yet maintain normal levels of blood glucose. Deficiency in SHP function resulted in up-regulation of glucose transporter 4 mRNA and glucose uptake in muscles, and overexpression of SHP in C2C12 cells inhibited both basal and peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) coactivator-1alpha-stimulated glucose transporter 4 expression and glucose uptake. SHP(-/-) hepatocytes showed markedly decreased basal glucose production in cultures, and SHP(-/-) livers had increased glycogen stores and were more sensitive to insulin inhibition of glucose output, which were concomitant with decreased expression for PPARgamma1, fatty acid translocase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and phosphoenol/pyruvate carboxykinase, and increased mRNAs for glucokinase and pyruvate kinase. In white fat, SHP deficiency resulted in up-regulation of genes involved in insulin sensitizing, including PPARgamma2 and adiponectin. We show that, at the transcriptional level, SHP directly represses adiponectin promoter activity by PPARgamma/liver receptor homolog-1. The results suggest that the increases in insulin sensitivity through multiple signaling pathways in muscle, liver, and fat, with an increase in islet secretory function, represent the complex mechanism whereby SHP deficiency leads to improvement in insulin sensitivity, secretion, and diabetes.