Feeding activates FGF15-SHP-TFEB-mediated lipophagy in the gut

Lysosome-mediated macroautophagy, including lipophagy, is activated under nutrient deprivation but is repressed after feeding. We show that feeding unexpectedly activates intestinal lipophagy in a manner dependent on both the orphan nuclear receptor, small heterodimer partner (SHP/NR0B2), and the late fed-state gut hormone, fibroblast growth factor-15/19 (FGF15/19). Postprandial intestinal triglycerides (TGs) and apolipoprotein-B48 (ApoB48), the TG-rich chylomicron marker, were elevated in SHP-knockout and FGF15-knockout mice. Genomic analyses in mouse intestine revealed that SHP partners with the key lysosomal activator, transcription factor-EB (TFEB), upregulating autophagy/lipolysis network genes after feeding. In HT29 intestinal cells, FGF19 treatment activated lipophagy in a manner dependent on both SHP and TFEB, reducing TG and ApoB48 levels. Mechanistically, feeding-induced FGF15/19 signaling increases nuclear localization of TFEB and SHP via PKCβ/ζ-mediated phosphorylation, leading to transcriptional induction of Ulk1 and Atgl. Collectively, these results demonstrate that after feeding, FGF15/19-activated SHP and TFEB paradoxically activate gut lipophagy, limiting postprandial TG levels. As excess lipids cause dyslipidemia and obesity, the FGF15/19-SHP-TFEB axis that reduces intestinal TGs via lipophagic activation provides promising therapeutic targets for obesity-associated metabolic disease. Identification of genome-wide intestinal SHP binding sites in SHP-KO and WT mice