Divergent acute versus prolonged pharmacological GLP-1R responses in adult beta cell-selective β-arrestin 2 knockout mice

The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is a major therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. Following activation, GLP-1Rs are rapidly desensitised by β-arrestins, scaffolding proteins that terminate G protein interactions but also act as independent signalling mediators. While GLP-1R interacts with β-arrestins 1 and 2, expression of the latter is greatly enhanced in beta cells, making this the most relevant isoform. Here, we have assessed in vivo glycaemic responses to the pharmacological GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 in adult beta cell-selective β-arrestin 2 knockout (KO) mice. Lean female and high-fat, high-sucrose-fed KO mice of both sexes displayed worse acute responses versus control littermates, an effect that was inverted 6 hours post-agonist injection, resulting in prolonged in vivo cell-cell connectivity in KO islets implanted in mouse eyes. Similar effects were observed for the clinically relevant semaglutide and tirzepatide but not with exendin-phe1, an agonist biased away from β-arrestin recruitment. Ex vivo acute cAMP was impaired, but overnight desensitisation was reduced in KO islets. The acute signalling defect was attributed to enhanced β-arrestin 1 and phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 activity in the absence of β-arrestin 2, while the reduced desensitisation correlated with altered GLP-1R trafficking, involving impaired recycling and lysosomal targeting and increased trans-Golgi network (TGN) localisation and signalling, as well as reduced GLP-1R ubiquitination by the E3 ubiquitin ligase NEDD4. This study has unveiled fundamental aspects of the role of β-arrestin 2 in regulating pharmacological GLP-1R responses with direct application to the rational design of improved GLP-1R-targeting therapeutics. ### Competing Interest Statement AT and BJ have received grant funding from Eli Lilly.