Glucokinase activators contribute to gastrointestinal disease risks through metabolic-immune interplay in the gut-liver axis: insights from a multi-omics study.

AIMS: Glucokinase activators (GKAs) lower glucose by directly activating glucokinase (GK) or dissociating it from GK regulatory protein (GK-GKRP). Their long-term effects on gastrointestinal (GI) diseases remain unclear. This study explores how two approaches influence GI disorders through metabolic-immune interplay.

METHODS

We used genetic variants near GCK and GCKR associated with fasting glucose as proxies for direct GK activation and GK-GKRP dissociation. Using Mendelian Randomization and meta-analysis, we assessed their associations with 20 GI diseases and explored mediation by lipid traits and inflammatory proteins (pQTL). MR-prioritized lipid and immune mediators underwent multi-omics analysis including functional enrichment, protein-protein interaction networks, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and Cellchat in disease models, investigating metabolic-immune interactions and intercellular signaling.

RESULTS

Direct GK activation and GK-GKRP dissociation exerted distinct causal effects on GI diseases. GK-GKRP dissociation increased risks of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, beyond its established association with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Lipid traits and inflammatory proteins interconnected through PPAR and NF-κB signaling, mediating GCKR's associations with GI diseases. Key mediators such as FGF-21, CSF1, CD40, CXCL9 were localized to disease-specific niches in MASLD and IBD scRNA-seq models, highlighting GCKR-centered metabolic-immune crosstalk. Intercellular communication via CSF, CXCL, CCL, TGFβ, Visfatin, Galectin, and MIF signaling linked immune, parenchymal, and stromal cells in disease pathogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

GK-GKRP dissociation, but not direct GK activation, increases IBD and MASLD risks through metabolic-immune interplay in gut-liver axis. Tailoring GKA therapies for patients with comorbidities is essential.