Evidence mapPaperPMID 42587019Full record

ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2026

Cathepsin D-driven IL2RG-JAK2 signal hijacking disrupts hepatic insulin action: mechanism-grounded proof that targeting cathepsin D prevents prediabetes.

Lingling Ding, Peng Jiang, Yuxi Zou, Yanyan Chen, Ting Chen, Shujin Wang, Changlong He, Hui Qian

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Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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8 authors.

Lingling Ding *The department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China. l.ding@ujs.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3343-4222
Peng Jiang *The department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Yuxi Zou *The department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Yanyan ChenThe department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Ting ChenThe department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Shujin WangCenter for Obesity and Metabolic Diseases Research, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. shujin.wang@cqmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2278-8271
Changlong HeDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Science Laboratory, Postdoctoral Program, People's Hospital of Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, China. 2019010250@stu.cqmu.edu.cn.
Hui QianJiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China. lstmmmlst@163.com.

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHepatic insulin resistance (HIR), an early feature of prediabetic, plays a pivotal role in disrupting glucose homeostasis. Clarifying the mechanisms underlying HIR is critical for diabetes prevention. Our previous study has discovered the positive correlations between plasma cathepsin D (CTSD) activity and the degree of HIR in people with obesity. Accordingly, this study investigates the roles of CTSD in the underlying mechanisms involving HIR and impaired glucose homeostasis.

methodsThe samples from people/mice with obesity/MASLD (metabolic dysfunction- associated steatotic liver disease) and HIR cellular models were used for assessing mRNA expression/protein expressions/activity of CTSD. RNA sequencing data from hepatocytes were then performed to disclose the potential mechanism of CTSD-induced HIR. Next, the plasmids of CTSD overexpression and CTSD knockdown were constructed to verify the effects and mechanisms of CTSD in HIR. Lastly, the CTSD inhibitor Pepstatin A (PepA) was administrated to mice with obesity/MASLD to explore the preventive effect of targeting CTSD on prediabetes.

resultsSignificant increases in mRNA expression, protein levels, and activity of CTSD were observed in individuals and mice with obesity/MASLD, as well as in HIR cell models, compared with controls. Furthermore, we found that increased CTSD or overexpressing CTSD could trigger HIR mediated by the IL2RG-JAK2 axis, thus disturbing hepatic insulin signaling transduction. Inhibiting CTSD with PepA or knocking down CTSD markedly improved HIR and rebalanced glucose metabolism in mice with obesity/MASLD and HIR cell models.

conclusionAltogether, these current findings implicate that increased CTSD suppresses hepatic insulin sensitivity via activating the IL2RG-JAK2-STAT3 axis, highlighting CTSD inhibition as an attractive preventative strategy for prediabetes. CTSD-centered IL2RG-JAK2 axis interruption as a precision strategy to rescue hepatic insulin signaling and halt prediabetes progression.

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.