Abstract
Patients with diabetes are prone to developing cerebrovascular disease (CVD) due to a multitude of factors. Particularly, the hyperglycemic environment is a key contributor to the progression of diabetes-associated complications. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1, also known as SLC2A1)-dependent mechanisms responsible for these adverse effects. Here, we revealed the importance of glucose transporter 1 in preserving brain endothelial cell homeostasis beyond regulating glucose uptake. To elucidate the GLUT1-mediated protective mechanism, we used bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to analyze the transcriptomic alterations under hyperglycemia and GLUT1-deficient conditions and validated the critical gene changes in cultured human brain endothelial cells and diabetic mouse models. We found that GLUT1 downregulation is linked to increased expression levels of podocalyxin (PODXL) and decreased thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) within healthy brain endothelial cells incubated with high glucose, demonstrating an antistress response mechanism. Interestingly, brain endothelial cells isolated from diabetic mice no longer showed a similar protection mechanism. Instead, the diabetic endothelial cells are characterized by considerably enriched GLUT1 and TXNIP expression under a hyperglycemic state. GLUT1 overexpression recaptures the diabetic features, such as elevated expression of TXNIP and NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, along with increased IL-1β production and permeability. Our findings of a GLUT1-dependent regulatory mechanism for the endothelium provide a potentially deeper insight into mechanistic shifts that occur due to the diabetic disease state and the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated vascular complications.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Glucose transporter-1 is known for regulating glucose uptake in brain endothelial cells. This study used global transcriptome analysis and diabetic mouse models to reveal the novel role of glucose transporter 1 in regulating brain endothelial cell homeostasis by reducing the inflammation response and increasing the protection mechanism. Importantly, the glucose transporter 1-dependent protection mechanism is compromised in diabetic conditions, which explains why patients with diabetes have a high risk of cerebrovascular diseases.