Regulation of Diacylglycerol Kinase δ2 Expression in C2C12 Skeletal Muscle Cells by Free Fatty Acids

Abstract Decreased expression of diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) δ in skeletal muscles is closely related to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. However, the regulation of DGKδ expression is not well understood. In this study, we found that myristic acid (14:0) significantly increased DGKδ2 protein expression in a dose‐dependent manner (EC 50 = 0.16 mM) in mouse C2C12 myotubes. In contrast, oleic [18:1(n‐9)], eicosenoic [20:1(n‐9)] and erucic [22:1(n‐9)] acids markedly decreased DGKδ2 expression. Myristic acid slowly enhanced DGKδ2 expression at the transcription level. Therefore, DGKδ2 expression is positively regulated by the relatively short‐chain saturated fatty acid myristic acid but attenuated by n‐9 monounsaturated fatty acids.