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Prostaglandin E2 receptor EP3 regulates both adipogenesis and lipolysis in mouse white adipose tissue Free
Hu Xu1,†, Jia-Lin Fu1,†, Yi-Fei Miao2, Chun-Jiong Wang1, Qi-Fei Han1, Sha Li1, Shi-Zheng Huang1, Sheng-Nan Du1, Yu-Xiang Qiu1, Ji-Chun Yang1, Jan-Åke Gustafsson2, Richard M. Breyer3, Feng Zheng4, Nan-Ping Wang4, Xiao-Yan Zhang4,5, and You-Fei Guan1,4,*
1Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
2Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
3Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Health Authority, and Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
4Advanced Institute for Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
5Department of Physiology, AstraZeneca–Shenzhen University Joint Institute of Nephrology, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen 518060, China *Correspondence to:You-Fei Guan, E-mail: guanyf@dmu.edu.cn
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 8, Issue 6, December 2016, 518-529,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjw035
Keyword: arachidonic acid EP3 receptor isoform PKA PPARγ insulin resistance obesity

Among the four prostaglandin E2 receptors, EP3 receptor is the one most abundantly expressed in white adipose tissue (WAT). The mouse EP3 gene gives rise to three isoforms, namely EP3α, EP3β, and EP3γ, which differ only at their C-terminal tails. To date, functions of EP3 receptor and its isoforms in WAT remain incompletely characterized. In this study, we found that the expression of all EP3 isoforms were downregulated in WAT of both db/db and high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Genetic ablation of three EP3 receptor isoforms (EP3−/− mice) or EP3α and EP3γ isoforms with EP3β intact (EP3β mice) led to an obese phenotype with increased food intake, decreased motor activity, reduced insulin sensitivity, and elevated serum triglycerides. Since the differentiation of preadipocytes and mouse embryonic fibroblasts to adipocytes was markedly facilitated by either pharmacological blockade or genetic deletion/inhibition of EP3 receptor via the cAMP/PKA/PPARγ pathway, increased adipogenesis may contribute to obesity in EP3−/− and EP3β mice. Moreover, both EP3−/− and EP3β mice had increased lipolysis in WAT mainly due to the activated cAMP/PKA/hormone-sensitive lipase pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that EP3 receptor and its α and γ isoforms are involved in both adipogenesis and lipolysis and influence food intake, serum lipid levels, and insulin sensitivity.