Silencing alanine transaminase 2 in diabetic liver attenuates hyperglycemia by reducing gluconeogenesis from amino acids

Hepatic gluconeogenesis from amino acids contributes significantly to diabetic hyperglycemia, but the molecular mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. Alanine transaminases (ALT1 and ALT2) catalyze the interconversion of alanine and pyruvate, which is required for gluconeogenesis from alanine. Hepatocyte-specific knockout of Gpt2 attenuated incorporation of 13C-alanine into newly synthesized glucose by hepatocytes. However, Gpt2 knockout in liver had no effect on glucose concentrations in lean mice, which may suggest that metabolic compensation is occurring. Overall design: WT or liver specific alanine transaminase 2 knockout mice were either given ad libitum access to food or fasted for 18 h in a 2x2 factorial design.