Luck H, Khan S, Kim JH, Copeland JK, Revelo XS, Tsai S, Chakraborty M, Cheng K, Tao Chan Y, Nøhr MK, Clemente-Casares X, Perry MC, Ghazarian M, Lei H, Lin YH, Coburn B, Okrainec A, Jackson T, Poutanen S, Gaisano H, Allard JP, Guttman DS, Conner ME, Winer S, Winer DA
Nature Communications 2019 10(1):3650. 10.1038/s41467-019-11370-y PMID:31409776
Abstract
The intestinal immune system is emerging as an important contributor to obesity-related insulin resistance, but the role of intestinal B cells in this context is unclear. Here, we show that high fat diet (HFD) feeding alters intestinal IgA+ immune cells and that IgA is a critical immune regulator of glucose homeostasis. Obese mice have fewer IgA+ immune cells and less secretory IgA and IgA-promoting immune mediators. HFD-fed IgA-deficient mice have dysfunctional glucose metabolism, a phenotype that can be recapitulated by adoptive transfer of intestinal-associated pan-B cells. Mechanistically, IgA is a crucial link that controls intestinal and adipose tissue inflammation, intestinal permeability, microbial encroachment and the composition of the intestinal microbiome during HFD. Current glucose-lowering therapies, including metformin, affect intestinal-related IgA+B cell populations in mice, while bariatric surgery regimen alters the level of fecal secretory IgA in humans. These findings identify intestinal IgA+ immune cells as mucosal mediators of whole-body glucose regulation in diet-induced metabolic disease.