Failure of the Adaptive Unfolded Protein Response in Islets of Obese Mice Is Linked With Abnormalities in β-Cell Gene Expression and Progression to Diabetes

The normal beta-cell response to obesity-associated insulin resistance is hypersecretion of insulin. Type 2 diabetes develops in subjects with beta-cells that are susceptible to failure. Here, we investigated the time-dependent gene expression changes in islets of diabetes-prone db/db and diabetes-resistant ob/ob mice. The expressions of adaptive unfolded protein response (UPR) genes were progressively induced in islets of ob/ob mice, whereas they declined in diabetic db/db mice. Genes important for beta-cell function and maintenance of the islet phenotype were reduced with time in db/db mice, whereas they were preserved in ob/ob mice. Inflammation and antioxidant genes displayed dine-dependent upregulation in db/db islets but were unchanged in ob/ob islets. Treatment of db/db mouse islets with the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyric acid partially restored the changes in several beta-cell function genes and transcription factors but did not affect inflammation or antioxidant gene expression. These data suggest that the maintenance (or suppression) of the adaptive UPR is associated with beta-cell compensation (or failure) in obese mice. Inflammation, oxidative stress, and a progressive loss of beta-cell differentiation accompany diabetes progression. The ability to maintain the adaptive UPR in islets may protect against the gene expression changes that underlie diabetes development in obese mice. Diabetes 62:1557-1568, 2013