GP73 blockade alleviates abnormal glucose homeostasis in diabetic mice.

Golgi protein 73 (GP73) is a resident Golgi type II transmembrane protein and is considered as a serum marker for the detection of a variety of cancers. A recent work revealed the role of the secreted GP73 in stimulating liver glucose production and systemic glucose homeostasis. Since exaggerated hepatic glucose production plays a key role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), GP73 may thus represent a potential therapeutic target for treating diabetic patients with pathologically elevated levels. Here in this study, we found that the circulating GP73 levels were significantly elevated in T2DM and positively correlated with hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c). Notably, the aberrantly up-regulated GP73 levels were indispensable for the enhanced PKA signaling pathway associated with diabetes. In diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model, GP73 siRNA primarily targeting liver tissue was potently effective in alleviating abnormal glucose metabolism. Ablation of GP73 from whole animals also exerted a profound glucose-lowering effect. Importantly, neutralizing circulating GP73 improved glucose metabolism in STZ and HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. We thus concluded that GP73 was a feasible therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetes.