# Myeloid FoxO1 in Lipid Metabolism

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $385,023

## Abstract

Abstract:
Chronic low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance are intertwined in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Low-
grade inflammation in liver catalyzes the disease progression from benign steatosis to nonalcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH). To date, genetic factors that effectively link insulin resistance to low-grade inflammation
are incompletely characterized. During the past decade, our laboratory has focused on FoxO1, a transcription
factor that integrates insulin signaling to glucose and lipid metabolism. We showed that FoxO1 becomes
deregulated in macrophages and this effect contributes to abnormal macrophage activation and
proinflammatory cytokine production in both peritoneal and tissue macrophages in mice with dietary obesity or
overt diabetes. We also found that myeloid-conditional FoxO1 knockout mice had reduced low-grade
inflammation in response to overnutrition or endotoxin, whereas myeloid-specific FoxO1-transgenic mice had
increased systemic and tissue inflammation under similar metabolic stress conditions. These new data
underscore the physiological importance of FoxO1 in regulating macrophage activation and polarization. We
propose to delineate insulin-Akt-FoxO1 signaling in macrophages. Our central hypothesis is that FoxO1
integrates insulin signaling to cytokine gene expression in macrophages, and FoxO1 dysregulation links
impaired insulin action to abnormal macrophage activation and skewed macrophage polarization toward
inflammatory states, contributing to inflammation and NASH in obesity and diabetes. To address this
hypothesis, we propose three aims: 1) To determine the physiological effect of FoxO1 gain- vs. loss-of-function
in macrophages on insulin action, inflammation, steatosis and fibrosis in myeloid-specific FoxO1-transgenic vs.
myeloid-conditional FoxO1 knockout mice, 2) To characterize the mechanisms by which FoxO1 regulates
macrophage activation, polarization and migration in tissues in obesity and diabetes, and 3) To determine the
pathological contribution of myeloid FoxO1 dysregulation to low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance,
steatosis and fibrosis in db/db mice with overt diabetes and mice with FPC (fructose, palmitate and cholesterol)
diet-induced NASH. Our studies will gain new insights into the mechanism of abnormal macrophage activation
and polarization, and address whether myeloid FoxO1 dysregulation is liable for driving the evolution of
steatosis to NASH. Our data will characterize FoxO1 and/or its downstream effectors as potential therapeutic
targets for suppressing inflammation to ameliorate NASH in metabolic diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10459447
- **Project number:** 5R01DK120310-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** HENGJIANG HENRY DONG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $385,023
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10459447

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10459447, Myeloid FoxO1 in Lipid Metabolism (5R01DK120310-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10459447. Licensed CC0.

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