Intestinally-Derived Preproglucagon Peptides Mediate Nutrient Absorption and Gut Adaptation with Exposure to Cold

Abstract

Cold exposure impacts intestinal remodelling and metabolism. Signaling by glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), GLP-2 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are tightly linked to nutrient intake and absorption. However, these peptide hormones' necessity to mediate gut adaptation and metabolic alternations during cold exposure has been incompletely explored. We hypothesize that GLP-1, GIP, and GLP-2 are released in proportion to required energy needs during cold exposure to enable efficient nutrient absorption and gut adaptation and subsequently impact nutrient handling. We evaluated morphological changes in the intestinal in wildtype, Glp1r-/-Glp2r-/- and Glp1r-/-Gipr-/- mice exposed to chronic cold or thermoneutral conditions for four weeks. Food intake and gut hormone secretion were significantly increased in all mice housed at 4-6 ̊C compared to those housed at thermoneutrality. Concomitantly, we observed increased remodeling measured by crypt to villus height (increased villi length) and intestinal circumference (increased circumference) in cold-exposed wildtype and Glp1r-/-Gipr-/- mice housed. In contrast, intestinal morphology in Glp1r-/-Glp2r-/- mice was unchanged in response to cold. Associated with these morphometric changes, we observed significant increases in fasting concentrations of GLP-1. These data suggest that GLP-1 and GLP-2 are key signaling molecules secreted from the gut in response to chronic cold exposure to enable intestinal remodeling.