Sean W Limesand

Sean W Limesand

Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Director, Agriculture Research Complex
Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair, Institutional Animal Care-USE Committee
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-8903

Work Summary

Our current research program use an integrative approach at the whole animal, isolated organ, cellular and molecular levels to investigate developmental adaptations in pancreatic β-cells and insulin sensitivity that result from early life risk factors, such as intrauterine growth restriction, and increase risk of glucose intolerance and Diabetes in later life.

Research Interest

Sean W. Limesand, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Arizona in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is also a member of the UA’s BIO5 Institute and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Limesand is nationally and internationally recognized for his work studying fetal endocrinology and metabolism in pregnancy and in pregnancies compromised by pathology such as intrauterine growth restriction and diabetes. His research is focused on defining developmental consequences resulting from a compromised intrauterine environment. Specifically, he is focused on fetal adaptations in insulin secretion and action that when altered in utero create lifelong metabolic complications. Dr. Limesand has lead the charge on prenatal origins of –cell dysfunction as the Principal Investigator for a number of federal and foundation grant awards and published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles on topics related to this research. Keywords: Diabetes, Pregnancy, Perinatal Biology

Publications

Limesand, S., Mitchell, G. C., Fillinger, J. L., Sittadjody, S., Avila, J. L., Burd, R., & Limesand, S. W. (2010). IGF1 activates cell cycle arrest following irradiation by reducing binding of ΔNp63 to the p21 promoter. Cell death & disease, 1.

Radiotherapy for head and neck tumors often results in persistent loss of function in salivary glands. Patients suffering from impaired salivary function frequently terminate treatment prematurely because of reduced quality of life caused by malnutrition and other debilitating side-effects. It has been previously shown in mice expressing a constitutively active form of Akt (myr-Akt1), or in mice pretreated with IGF1, apoptosis is suppressed, which correlates with maintained salivary gland function measured by stimulated salivary flow. Induction of cell cycle arrest may be important for this protection by allowing cells time for DNA repair. We have observed increased accumulation of cells in G2/M at acute time-points after irradiation in parotid glands of mice receiving pretreatment with IGF1. As p21, a transcriptional target of the p53 family, is necessary for maintaining G2/M arrest, we analyzed the roles of p53 and p63 in modulating IGF1-stimulated p21 expression. Pretreatment with IGF1 reduces binding of ΔNp63 to the p21 promoter after irradiation, which coincides with increased p53 binding and sustained p21 transcription. Our data indicate a role for ΔNp63 in modulating p53-dependent gene expression and influencing whether a cell death or cell cycle arrest program is initiated.

Limesand, S. W. (2015). Insights Into the Progression of β-Cell Dysfunction Caused by Preterm Birth. Endocrinology, 156(10), 3494-5.
Kelly, A. C., Camacho, L. E., Pendarvis, K., Davenport, H. M., Steffens, N. R., Smith, K. E., Weber, C. S., Lynch, R. M., Papas, K. K., & Limesand, S. W. (2018). Adrenergic receptor stimulation suppresses oxidative metabolism in isolated rat islets and Min6 cells. Molecular and cellular endocrinology.
BIO5 Collaborators
Sean W Limesand, Ronald M Lynch

Insulin secretion is stimulated by glucose metabolism and inhibited by catecholamines through adrenergic receptor stimulation. We determined whether catecholamines suppress oxidative metabolism in β-cells through adrenergic receptors. In Min6 cells and isolated rat islets, epinephrine decreased oxygen consumption rates compared to vehicle control or co-administration of epinephrine with α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine. Epinephrine also decreased forskolin-stimulated oxygen consumption rates, indicating cAMP dependent and independent actions. Furthermore, glucose oxidation rates were decreased with epinephrine, independent of the exocytosis of insulin, which was blocked with yohimbine. We evaluated metabolic targets through proteomic analysis after 4 h epinephrine exposure that revealed 466 differentially expressed proteins that were significantly enriched for processes including oxidative metabolism, protein turnover, exocytosis, and cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that acute α2-adrenergic stimulation suppresses glucose oxidation in β-cells independent of nutrient availability and insulin exocytosis, while cAMP concentrations are elevated. Proteomics and immunoblots revealed changes in electron transport chain proteins that were correlated with lower metabolic reducing equivalents, intracellular ATP concentrations, and altered mitochondrial membrane potential implicating a new role for adrenergic control of mitochondrial function and ultimately insulin secretion.

Camacho, L. E., Yates, D. T., Davenport, H. M., Allen, R. E., & Limesand, S. W. (2016). Decreased Satellite Cell Proliferation Rates Contribute to Small Fibers in the Semitendinosus Muscle of Intrauterine Growth Restricted Lambs.. REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, 23, 316A-317A.
Camacho, L. E., Chen, X., Hay, W. W., & Limesand, S. W. (2017). Enhanced insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in young lambs with placental insufficiency-induced intrauterine growth restriction. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 313(2), R101-R109.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with persistent metabolic complications, but information is limited for IUGR infants. We determined glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and insulin sensitivity in young lambs with placental insufficiency-induced IUGR. Lambs with hyperthermia-induced IUGR (n = 7) were compared with control lambs (n = 8). GSIS was measured at 8 ± 1 days of age, and at 15 ± 1 days, body weight-specific glucose utilization rates were measured with radiolabeled d-glucose during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC). IUGR lambs weighed 23% less (P 0.05) than controls at birth. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not different between IUGR and controls for either study. First-phase insulin secretion was enhanced 2.3-fold in IUGR lambs compared with controls. However, second-phase insulin concentrations, glucose-potentiated arginine-stimulated insulin secretion, and β-cell mass were not different, indicating that IUGR β-cells have an intrinsic enhancement in acute GSIS. Compared with controls, IUGR lambs had higher body weight-specific glucose utilization rates and greater insulin sensitivity at fasting (1.6-fold) and hyperinsulinemic periods (2.4-fold). Improved insulin sensitivity for glucose utilization was not due to differences in skeletal muscle insulin receptor and glucose transporters 1 and 4 concentrations. Plasma lactate concentrations during HEC were elevated in IUGR lambs compared with controls, but no differences were found for glycogen content or citrate synthase activity in liver and muscle. Greater insulin sensitivity for glucose utilization and enhanced acute GSIS in young lambs are predicted from fetal studies but may promote conditions that exaggerate glucose disposal and lead to episodes of hypoglycemia in IUGR infants.