A rare missense mutation in a type 2 diabetes patient decreases the transcriptional activity of human sterol regulatory element binding protein-1

11 pages, 3figures, 1 table.-PMID: 16429400 [PubMed]Sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) transcription factors play a key role in energy homeostasis by regulating genes involved in both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and in adipocyte differentiation. The 5' end of the mRNA-encoding SREBP-1 exists in two forms, designated 1a and 1c. The divergence results from the use of two transcription start sites that produce two separate 5' exons, each of which is spliced to a common exon 2. Mutations in the sterol regulatory element binding protein gene (SREBF)-1 may contribute to insulin resistance states. However, the variants described to date do not affect the SREBP function. In this study, we investigated the functional consequences of a novel missense mutation common to both SREBP-1 isoforms identified in a Spanish Type 2 diabetic patient (c.677C>T, SREBP-1a p.T226M; c.605C>T, SREBP-1c p.T202M). Using reporter gene analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we found that this variant impaires the transcriptional activity and reduces DNA binding ability despite its comparable protein stability to the wild-type SREBP-1. This decreased activity impaires the expression of known downstream targets, such as the LDL receptor and fatty acid synthase genes. Our findings suggest that the threonine residue and/or surrounding region play an important role in the SREBP-1 functionThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Red de Centros (RCMN) C03/08, and from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (SAF2003-01262). S.V. is supported by a fellowship from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas I3P-BPD2001-1.Peer reviewe

SETDB2 Links Glucocorticoid to Lipid Metabolism through Insig2a Regulation

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Activation of AMPK-Regulated CRH Neurons in the PVH is Sufficient and Necessary to Induce Dietary Preference for Carbohydrate over Fat

Food selection is essential for metabolic homeostasis and is influenced by nutritional state, food palatability, and social factors such as stress. However, the mechanism responsible for selection between a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD) and a high-fat diet (HFD) remains unknown. Here, we show that activation of a subset of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-positive neurons in the rostral region of the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) induces selection of an HCD over an HFD in mice during refeeding after fasting, resulting in a rapid recovery from the change in ketone metabolism. These neurons manifest activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) during food deprivation, and this activation is necessary and sufficient for selection of an HCD over an HFD. Furthermore, this effect is mediated by carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1c (CPT1c). Thus, our results identify the specific neurons and intracellular signaling pathway responsible for regulation of the complex behavior of selection between an HCD and an HFD

Molecular phenomics and metagenomics of hepatic steatosis in non-diabetic obese women

The role of molecular signals from the microbiome and their coordinated interactions with those from the host in hepatic steatosis – notably in obese patients and as risk factors for insulin resistance and atherosclerosis – needs to be understood. We reveal molecular networks linking gut microbiome and host phenome to hepatic steatosis in a cohort of non diabetic obese women. Steatotic patients had low microbial gene richness and increased genetic potential for processing of dietary lipids and endotoxin biosynthesis (notably from Proteobacteria), hepatic inflammation and dysregulation of aromatic and branched-chain amino acid (AAA and BCAA) metabolism. We demonstrated that faecal microbiota transplants and chronic treatment with phenylacetic acid (PAA), a microbial product of AAA metabolism, successfully trigger steatosis and BCAA metabolism. Molecular phenomic signatures were predictive (AUC = 87%) and consistent with the gut microbiome making an impact on the steatosis phenome (>75% shared variation) and, therefore, actionable via microbiome-based therapies

Characterising the inhibitory actions of ceramide upon insulin signaling in different skeletal muscle cell models:a mechanistic insight

International audienceCeramides are known to promote insulin resistance in a number of metabolically important tissues including skeletal muscle, the predominant site of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. Depending on cell type, these lipid intermediates have been shown to inhibit protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), a key mediator of the metabolic actions of insulin, via two distinct pathways: one involving the action of atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) isoforms, and the second dependent on protein phosphatase-2A (PP2A). The main aim of this study was to explore the mechanisms by which ceramide inhibits PKB/Akt in three different skeletal muscle-derived cell culture models; rat L6 myotubes, mouse C2C12 myotubes and primary human skeletal muscle cells. Our findings indicate that the mechanism by which ceramide acts to repress PKB/Akt is related to the myocellular abundance of caveolin-enriched domains (CEM) present at the plasma membrane. Here, we show that ceramide-enriched-CEMs are markedly more abundant in L6 myotubes compared to C2C12 myotubes, consistent with their previously reported role in coordinating aPKC-directed repression of PKB/Akt in L6 muscle cells. In contrast, a PP2A-dependent pathway predominantly mediates ceramide-induced inhibition of PKB/Akt in C2C12 myotubes. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time that ceramide engages an aPKC-dependent pathway to suppress insulin-induced PKB/Akt activation in palmitate-treated cultured human muscle cells as well as in muscle cells from diabetic patients. Collectively, this work identifies key mechanistic differences, which may be linked to variations in plasma membrane composition, underlying the insulin-desensitising effects of ceramide in different skeletal muscle cell models that are extensively used in signal transduction and metabolic studies

Characterization of Phosphofructokinase Activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Reveals That a Functional Glycolytic Carbon Flow Is Necessary to Limit the Accumulation of Toxic Metabolic Intermediates under Hypoxia

10.1371/journal.pone.0056037PLoS ONE82

Gene expression meta-analysis identifies metastatic pathways and transcription factors in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metastasis is believed to progress in several steps including different pathways but the determination and understanding of these mechanisms is still fragmentary. Microarray analysis of gene expression patterns in breast tumors has been used to predict outcome in recent studies. Besides classification of outcome, these global expression patterns may reflect biological mechanisms involved in metastasis of breast cancer. Our purpose has been to investigate pathways and transcription factors involved in metastasis by use of gene expression data sets.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have analyzed 8 publicly available gene expression data sets. A global approach, "gene set enrichment analysis" as well as an approach focusing on a subset of significantly differently regulated genes, GenMAPP, has been applied to rank pathway gene sets according to differential regulation in metastasizing tumors compared to non-metastasizing tumors. Meta-analysis has been used to determine overrepresentation of pathways and transcription factors targets, concordant deregulated in metastasizing breast tumors, in several data sets.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The major findings are up-regulation of cell cycle pathways and a metabolic shift towards glucose metabolism reflected in several pathways in metastasizing tumors. Growth factor pathways seem to play dual roles; EGF and PDGF pathways are decreased, while VEGF and sex-hormone pathways are increased in tumors that metastasize. Furthermore, migration, proteasome, immune system, angiogenesis, DNA repair and several signal transduction pathways are associated to metastasis. Finally several transcription factors e.g. E2F, NFY, and YY1 are identified as being involved in metastasis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By pathway meta-analysis many biological mechanisms beyond major characteristics such as proliferation are identified. Transcription factor analysis identifies a number of key factors that support central pathways. Several previously proposed treatment targets are identified and several new pathways that may constitute new targets are identified.</p