Demonstrated brain insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease patients is associated with IGF-1 resistance, IRS-1 dysregulation, and cognitive decline.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22476197
While a potential causal factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), brain insulin resistance has not been demonstrated directly in that disorder.
We provide such a demonstration here by showing that the hippocampal formation (HF) and, to a lesser degree, the cerebellar cortex in AD cases without diabetes exhibit markedly reduced responses to insulin signaling in the IR→IRS-1→PI3K signaling pathway with greatly reduced responses to IGF-1 in the IGF-1R→IRS-2→PI3K signaling pathway.
Reduced insulin responses were maximal at the level of IRS-1 and were consistently associated with basal elevations in IRS-1 phosphorylated at serine 616 (IRS-1 pS⁶¹⁶) and IRS-1 pS⁶³⁶/⁶³⁹.
In the HF, these candidate biomarkers of brain insulin resistance increased commonly and progressively from normal cases to mild cognitively impaired cases to AD cases regardless of diabetes or APOE ε4 status.
Levels of IRS-1 pS⁶¹⁶ and IRS-1 pS⁶³⁶/⁶³⁹ and their activated kinases correlated positively with those of oligomeric Aβ plaques and were negatively associated with episodic and working memory, even after adjusting for Aβ plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and APOE ε4.
Brain insulin resistance thus appears to be an early and common feature of AD, a phenomenon accompanied by IGF-1 resistance and closely associated with IRS-1 dysfunction potentially triggered by Aβ oligomers and yet promoting cognitive decline independent of classic AD pathology.
About IRS-1
IRS-1, as a signalling adapter protein, is able to integrate different signalling cascades, which indicates its possible role in cancer progression.[34] IRS-1 protein is known to be involved in various types of cancer, including colorectal,[35] lung,[36] prostate and breast cancer[37] IRS-1 integrates signalling from insulin receptor (InsR),insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) and many other cytokine receptors is elevated in β-catenin induced cells.
Some evidence shows that TCF/LEF-β-catenin complexes directly regulate IRS-1. IRS-1 is required for maintenance of neoplasmic phenotype in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) – mutated cells, it is also needed for transformation in ectopically expressing oncogenic β-catenin cells. IRS-1 dominant-negative mutant functions as tumor suppressor, whereas ectopic IRS-1 stimulates oncogenic transformation. IRS-1 is upregulated in colorectal cancers (CRC) with elevated levels of β-catenin, c-MYC, InsRβ and IGF1R. IRS-1 promotes CRC metastasis to the liver.[35] Decreased apoptosis of crypt stem cells is associated with colon cancer risk. Reduced expression of IRS-1 in Apc (min/+) mutated mice showes increased irradiation-induced apoptosis in crypt. Deficiency in IRS-1 – partial (+/-) or absolute (-/-) – in Apc (min/+) mice demonstrates reduced amount of tumors comparing to IRS-1 (+/+)/ Apc (min/+) mice.[38]
In lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 overexpression of IRS-1 leads to reduced growth. Tumor infiltrating neutrophils have recently been thought to adjust tumor growth and invasiveness. Neutrophil elastase is shown to degrade IRS-1 by gaining access to endosomal compartment of carcinoma cell. IRS-1 degradation induces cell proliferation in mouse and human adenocarcinomas. Ablation of IRS-1 alters downstream signalling through phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), causing an increased interaction of it with platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). Therefore, IRS-1 acts as major regulator of PI3K in lung adenocarcinoma.[36]
Some evidence shows role of IRS-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In rat model, IRS-1 focal overexpression is associated with early events of hepatocarcinogenesis. During progression of preneoplastic foci into hepatocellular carcinomas expression of IRS-1 gradually decreases, which is characterises a metabolic shift heading towards malignant neoplastic phenotype.[39] Transgenic mice, co-expressing IRS-1 and hepatitis Bx (HBx) protein, demonstrate higher rate of hepatocellular displasia that results in HCC development. Expressed alone, IRS-1 and HBx are not sufficient to induce neoplastic alterations in the liver, though their paired expression switches on IN/IRS-1/MAPK and Wnt/β-catenin cascades, causing HCC transformation.[40]
LNCaP prostate cancer cells increase cell adhesion and diminish cell motility via IGF-1 independent mechanism, when IRS-1 is ectopically expressed in the cells. These effects are mediated by PI3K. Uncanonical phosphorylation of Serine 612 by PI3K of IRS-1 protein is due to hyper-activation of Akt/PKB pathway in LNCaP. IRS-1 interacts with integrin α5β1, activating an alternative signalling cascade. This cascade results in decreased cell motility opposing to IGF-1 – dependent mechanism. Loss of IRS-1 expression and PTEN mutations in LNCaP cells could promote metastasis.[41] Ex vivo studies of IRS-1 involvement in prostate cancer show ambiguous results. Down-regulation of IGF1R in bone marrow biopsies of metastatic prostate cancer goes along with down-regulation of IRS-1 and significant reduction of PTEN in 3 out of 12 cases. Most of the tumors still express IRS-1 and IGF1R during progression of the metastatic disease.[42]
IRS-1 has a functional role in breast cancer progression and metastasis. Overexpression of PTEN in MCF-7 epithelial breast cancer cells inhibits cell growth by inhibiting MAPK pathway. ERK phosphorylation through IRS-1/Grb-2/Sos pathway is inhibited by phosphatase activity of PTEN. PTEN does not have effect on IRS-1 independent MAPK activation. When treated with insulin, ectopic expression of PTEN in MCF-7 suppresses IRS-1/Grb-2/Sos complex formation due to differential phosphorylation of IRS-1.[43] Overexpression of IRS-1 has been linked to antiestrogen resistance and hormone independence in breast cancer. Tamoxifen (TAM) inhibits IRS-1 function, therefore suppressing IRS-1/PI3K signalling cascade in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7 cell line. IRS-1 siRNA is able to reduce IRS-1 transcript level, thereby reducing protein expression in MCF-7 ER+ cells. Reduction of IRS-1 leads to decreased survival of these cells. siRNA treatment effects are additive to effects of TAM treatment.[44] IGFRs and estrogen coaction facilitates growth in different breast cancer cell lines, however amplification of IGF1R signalling can abrogate need of estrogen for transformation and growth of MCF-7 cells. IRS-1 overexpression in breast cancer cells decreased estrogen requirements. This decrease is dependent on IRS-1 levels in the cells.[45] Estradiol enhances expression of IRS-1 and activity of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways in MCF-7 and CHO cells transfected with mouse IRS-1 promoter. Estradiol acts directly on IRS-1 regulatory sequences and positively regulates IRS-1 mRNA production.[46] Decreased anchorage- dependent/independent cell growth and initiation of cell death under low growth factor and estrogen conditions are observed in MCF-7 cells with down-regulated IRS-1.[47] mir126 is underexpressed in breast cancer cells. mir126 targets IRS-1 at transcriptional level and inhibits transition from G1/G0 phase to S phase during cell cycle in HEK293 and MCF-7 cells.[48] Transgenic mice overexpressing IRS-1 develop metastatic breast cancer.The tumors demonstrate squamous differentiation which is associated with β-catenin pathway. IRS-1 interacts with β-catenin both in vitro and in vivo.[49] IRS-1 and its homologue IRS-2 play distinct roles in breast cancer progression and metastasis. Overexpression of either one is sufficient to cause tumorogenesis in vivo. Frequency of lung metastasis in IRS-1 deficient tumor is elevated opposing to IRS-2 deficient tumor, where it is decreased. Basically, IRS-2 has a positive impact on metastasis of breast cancer whereas a stronger metastatic potential is observed when IRS-1 is down-regulated.[citation needed] IRS-1 is strongly expressed in ductal carcinoma in situ, when IRS-2 is elevated in invasive tumors. Increased IRS-1 makes MCF-7 cells susceptible to specific chemotherapeutic agents, such as taxol, etoposide, and vincristine.Therefore, IRS-1 can be a good pointer of specific drug therapies effectiveness for breast cancer treatment.