Hepatic TET3 contributes to type-2 diabetes by inducing the HNF4α fetal isoform

Precise control of hepatic glucose production (HGP) is pivotal to maintain systemic glucose homeostasis. HNF4α functions to stimulate transcription of key gluconeogenic genes. HNF4α harbors two promoters (P2 and P1) thought to be primarily active in fetal and adult livers, respectively. Here we report that the fetal version of HNF4α is required for HGP in the adult liver. This isoform is acutely induced upon fasting and chronically increased in type-2 diabetes (T2D). P2 isoform induction occurs in response to glucagon-stimulated upregulation of TET3, not previously shown to be involved in HGP. TET3 is recruited to the P2 promoter by FOXA2, leading to promoter demethylation and increased transcription. While TET3 overexpression augments HGP, knockdown of either TET3 or the P2 isoform alone in the liver improves glucose homeostasis in dietary and genetic mouse models of T2D. These studies unmask an unanticipated, conserved regulatory mechanism in HGP and offer potential therapeutic targets for T2D. The HNF4α gene contains two promoters, which are thought to be active in the fetal and adult liver, the latter contributing to hepatic glucose production. Here the authors show that the fetal isoform of HNF4a is induced in mouse livers upon fasting and in type-2 diabetes in a manner regulated by TET3.