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Melina Fan

Publications and source records attributed to Melina Fan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Partnership of PGC-1alpha and HNF4alpha in the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) is a transcriptional coactivator involved in several aspects of energy metabolism. It is induced or activated under different stimuli in a highly tissue-specific manner and subsequently partners with certain transcription factors in those tissues to execute various biological programs. In the fasted liver, PGC-1alpha is induced and interacts with hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) and other transcription factors to activate gluconeogenesis and increase hepatic glucose output. Given the broad spectrum of liver genes responsive to HNF4alpha, we sought to determine those that were specifically targeted by the combination of PGC-1alpha and HNF4alpha. Coexpression of these two molecules in murine stem cells reveals a high induction of mRNA for apolipoproteins A-IV and C-II. Forced expression of PGC-1alpha in mouse and human hepatoma cells increases the mRNA of a subset of apolipoproteins implicated in very low density lipoprotein and triglyceride metabolism, including apolipoproteins A-IV, C-II, and C-III. Coactivation of the apoC-III/A-IV promoter region by PGC-1alpha occurs through a highly conserved HNF4alpha response element, the loss of which completely abolishes activation by PGC-1alpha and HNF4alpha. Adenoviral infusion of PGC-1alpha into live mice increases hepatic expression of apolipoproteins A-IV, C-II, and C-III and increases serum and very low density lipoprotein triglyceride levels. Conversely, knock down of PGC-1alpha in vivo causes a decrease in both apolipoprotein expression and serum triglyceride levels. These data point to a crucial role for the PGC-1alpha/HNF4alpha partnership in hepatic lipoprotein metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Suppression of mitochondrial respiration through recruitment of p160 myb binding protein to PGC-1alpha: modulation by p38 MAPK.

The transcriptional coactivator PPAR gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1alpha) is a key regulator of metabolic processes such as mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration in muscle and gluconeogenesis in liver. Reduced levels of PGC-1alpha in humans have been associated with type II diabetes. PGC-1alpha contains a negative regulatory domain that attenuates its transcriptional activity. This negative regulation is removed by phosphorylation of PGC-1alpha by p38 MAPK, an important kinase downstream of cytokine signaling in muscle and beta-adrenergic signaling in brown fat. We describe here the identification of p160 myb binding protein (p160MBP) as a repressor of PGC-1alpha. The binding and repression of PGC-1alpha by p160MBP is disrupted by p38 MAPK phosphorylation of PGC-1alpha. Adenoviral expression of p160MBP in myoblasts strongly reduces PGC-1alpha's ability to stimulate mitochondrial respiration and the expression of the genes of the electron transport system. This repression does not require removal of PGC-1alpha from chromatin, suggesting that p160MBP is or recruits a direct transcriptional suppressor. Overall, these data indicate that p160MBP is a powerful negative regulator of PGC-1alpha function and provide a molecular mechanism for the activation of PGC-1alpha by p38 MAPK. The discovery of p160MBP as a PGC-1alpha regulator has important implications for the understanding of energy balance and diabetes.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Regulation of hepatic fasting response by PPARgamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1): requirement for hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha in gluconeogenesis.

The liver plays several critical roles in the metabolic adaptation to fasting. We have shown previously that the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) is induced in fasted or diabetic liver and activates the entire program of gluconeogenesis. PGC-1alpha interacts with several nuclear receptors known to bind gluconeogenic promoters including the glucocorticoid receptor, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha), and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. However, the genetic requirement for any of these interactions has not been determined. Using hepatocytes from mice lacking HNF4alpha in the liver, we show here that PGC-1alpha completely loses its ability to activate key genes of gluconeogenesis such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase when HNF4alpha is absent. It is also shown that PGC-1alpha can induce genes of beta-oxidation and ketogenesis in hepatocytes, but these effects do not require HNF4alpha. Analysis of the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter indicates a key role for HNF4alpha-binding sites that function robustly only when HNF4alpha is coactivated by PGC-1alpha. These data illustrate the involvement of PGC-1alpha in several aspects of the hepatic fasting response and show that HNF4alpha is a critical component of PGC-1alpha-mediated gluconeogenesis.

Adenoviridae↗