Sexual Dimorphism in the Immunometabolic Role of Gpr183 in Mice.

Context: Excessive eating and intake of a Western diet negatively affect the intestinal immune system, resulting in compromised glucose homeostasis and lower gut bacterial diversity. The G protein-coupled receptor GPR183 regulates immune cell migration and intestinal immune response and has been associated with tuberculosis, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Objective: We hypothesized that with these implications, GPR183 has an important immunometabolic role and investigated this using a global Gpr183 knockout mouse model.

Methods: Wild-type (WT) and Gpr183-deficient (Gpr183^-/-) mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet (HFSD) for 15 weeks. We investigated changes in weight, body composition, fecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels, fecal microbiome, and glucose tolerance before and after the diet. Macrophage infiltration into visceral fat was determined by flow cytometry, and hepatic gene expression was measured.

Results: A sexual dimorphism was discovered, whereby female Gpr183^-/- mice showed adverse metabolic outcomes compared to WT counterparts with inferior glucose tolerance, lower fecal IgA levels, and increased macrophage infiltration in visceral fat. In contrast, male Gpr183^-/- mice had significantly lower fasting blood glucose after diet than male WT mice. Liver gene expression showed reduced inflammation and macrophage markers in Gpr183^-/- livers, regardless of sex, while the pancreatic islet area did not differ between the groups. No conclusive differences were found after microbiome sequencing.

Conclusion: Gpr183 maintains metabolic homeostasis in female but not in male mice independent of diet. If confirmed in humans, future therapy targeting GPR183 should consider this sexual dimorphism.