Ablation of PI3K-p110alpha Impairs Maternal Metabolic Adaptations to Pregnancy.

Authors
Lopez-Tello, Jorge 
Salazar-Petres, Esteban 
Webb, Liam 
Fowden, Abigail L 
Sferruzzi-Perri, Amanda N 

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Article
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Abstract

Pregnancy requires adaptations in maternal metabolism to support fetal growth. The phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) signalling pathway controls multiple biological processes and defects in this pathway are linked to metabolic disorders including insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in non-pregnant animals. However, relatively little is known about the contribution of PI3K signalling to the maternal metabolic adaptations during pregnancy. Using mice with partial inactivation of the PI3K isoform, p110α (due to a heterozygous dominant negative mutation; Pik3ca-D933A), the effects of impaired PI3K-p110α signalling on glucose and insulin handling were examined in the pregnant and non-pregnant states and related to the morphological, molecular, and mitochondrial changes in key metabolic organs. The results show that non-pregnant mice lacking PI3K-p110α are glucose intolerant but exhibit compensatory increases in pancreatic glucose-stimulated insulin release and adipose tissue mitochondrial respiratory capacity and fatty acid oxidation. However, in pregnancy, mutant mice failed to show the normal increment in glucose intolerance and pancreatic β-cell mass observed in wild-type pregnant dams and exhibited further enhanced adipose tissue mitochondrial respiratory capacity. These maladaptations in pregnant mutant mice were associated with fetal growth restriction. Hence, PI3K-p110α is a key regulator of metabolic adaptations that support fetal growth during normal pregnancy.

Publication Date
2022
Online Publication Date
2022-07
Acceptance Date
2022-06-10
Keywords
PI3K, metabolism, mitochondria, pregnancy, signalling
Journal Title
Front Cell Dev Biol
Journal ISSN
2296-634X
2296-634X
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (220456/Z/20/Z)
Medical Research Council (MR/R022690/1)
JL-T holds a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (220456/Z/20/Z). ESP was supported by a Beca-Chile, ANID Postdoctoral Scholarship: 57774190055. ANSP is supported by a MRC New Investigator Grant (MR/R022690/1 / RG93186) and Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine Research Prize (RG93692).