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Previous studies including ours demonstrated that methyl-CpG–binding domain 2 (MBD2) acts as a reader to decipher DNA methylome-encoded information. We thus in the current study used Mbd2−/− mice as a model to dissect the impact of high-fat diet (HFD) on DNA methylome relevant to the pathoetiology of obesity. It was interestingly noted that mice deficient in Mbd2 were protected from HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Mechanistic study revealed that HFD rendered epididymal adipose tissues to undergo a DNA methylation turnover as evidenced by the changes of methylation levels and patterns. Specifically, HFD was noted with higher potency to induce DNA hypomethylation in genes relevant to energy storage than that in genes associated with energy expenditure. As a result, arrays of genes were subjected to expression changes, which led to an altered homeostasis for energy storage and expenditure in favor of obesity development. Loss of Mbd2 resulted in impaired implementation of above DNA methylation changes associated with altered energy homeostasis, which then protected mice from HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Those data would provide novel insight into the understanding of the pathoetiology underlying obesity with potential for developing effective therapies against obesity in clinical settings.

OBJECTIVE—The implication of innate immunity in type 1 diabetes development has long been proposed. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an evolutionarily conserved chromosomal protein, was recently recognized to be a potent innate inflammatory mediator when released extracellularly. We sought to test the hypothesis that HMGB1 acts as an innate immune mediator implicated in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Eight- and 12-week-old NOD mice were treated with an HMGB1 neutralizing antibody once a week until 25 weeks of age and monitored for insulitis progression and diabetes onset. The underlying mechanisms of HMGB1 regulation of autoimmune response were further explored.RESULTS—During autoimmunity, HMGB1 can be passively released from damaged pancreatic β-cells and actively secreted by islet infiltrated immune cells. Extracellular HMGB1 is potent in inducing NOD dendritic cell maturation and stimulating macrophage activation. Blockade of HMGB1 significantly inhibited insulitis progression and diabetes development in both 8- and 12-week-old NOD mice. HMGB1 antibody treatment decreased the number and maturation of pancreatic lymph node (PLN) CD11c++CD11b+ dendritic cells, a subset of dendritic cells probably associated with autoantigen presentation to naïve T-cells, but increased the number for PLN CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells. Blockade of HMGB1 also decreased splenic dendritic cell allo-stimulatory capability associated with increased tolergenic CD11c+CD8a+ dendritic cells. Interestingly, the number of CD8+interferon-γ+ (Tc1) T-cells was increased in the PLNs and spleen after blockade of HMGB1, which could be associated with retarded migration of activated autoreactive T-cells into the pancreatic islets.CONCLUSIONS—Extracellular HMGB1 functions as a potent innate immune mediator contributing to insulitis progression and diabetes onset.

Previous studies including ours demonstrated that methyl-CpG-binding domain 2 (MBD2) acts as a reader to decipher DNA methylome-encoded information. We thus in the current study used Mbd2

Recent worldwide epidemiological studies demonstrate that the incidence for type 1 diabetes in most regions has been increasing by 2–5% and that type 1 diabetes prevalence in the U.S. is approximately 1 in 300 by the age of 18 (1). In other regions, the rate of increase has been even higher. For example, just 35 years ago type 1 diabetes was a very rare disorder in China, but recent rapid economic development along with changes in lifestyle and, presumably, the living environment have rendered this country with an annual increase of 7.4% for type 1 diabetes prevalence (2). Indeed, the incidence of type 1 diabetes among different geographic/ethnic regions varies up to 500-fold (3). The dramatic increase of type 1 diabetes incidence worldwide in genetically stable populations, the significant international discrepancies for disease incidence, and reports of increased incidence when individuals migrate from low-incidence to high-incidence areas (4,5) cannot be accounted for by the genetic factors alone—thus demonstrating the implication of the complex interactions between susceptibility genes, the environmental/stochastic factors, and the immune system in type 1 diabetes etiology. The famous “hygiene hypothesis” has been frequently used to explain the rapid increase and discrepancy of type 1 diabetes incidence (6). It is believed that our increasingly hygienic environment, resulting from improvements in health care delivery and sanitation, has decreased the frequency of childhood infections, perhaps resulting in concomitant alterations in the gut microbiome, leading to a modulation of the developing immune system in genetically predisposed individuals and favoring the development of autoimmunity. Indeed, recent …