Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015695 (fatty liver)
 13,941 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are a family of membrane-bound transcription factors that regulate cholesterol and fatty acid homeostasis. In mammals, three SREBP isoforms designated SREBP-1a, SREBP-1c, and SREBP-2 have been identified. SREBP-1a and SREBP-1c are derived from the same gene by virtue of alternatively spliced first exons. SREBP-1a has a longer transcriptional activation domain and is a more potent transcriptional activator than SREBP-1c in cultured cells and liver. Here, we describe the physiologic consequences of overexpressing the nuclear form of SREBP-1a (nSREBP-1a) in adipocytes of mice using the adipocyte-specific aP2 promoter (aP2-nSREBP-1a). The transgenic aP2-nSREBP-1a mice developed markedly enlarged white and brown adipocytes that were fully differentiated. Adipocytes isolated from aP2-nSREBP-1a mice had significantly increased rates of fatty acid synthesis and enhanced fatty acid secretion. The increased production and release of fatty acids from adipocytes led, in turn, to a fatty liver. Overexpression of the alternative SREBP-1 isoform, nSREBP-1c, in adipose tissue inhibits adipocyte differentiation; as a result, the transgenic nSREBP-1c mice develop a syndrome resembling human lipodystrophy, which includes a loss of peripheral white adipose tissue, diabetes, and fatty livers (Shimomura, I., Hammer, R. E., Richardson, J. A., Ikemoto, S., Bashmakov, Y., Goldstein, J. L., and Brown, M. S. (1998) Genes Dev. 12, 3182-3194). In striking contrast, nSREBP-1a overexpression in fat resulted in the hypertrophy of fully differentiated adipocytes, no diabetes, and mild hepatic steatosis. These results suggest that nSREBP-1a and nSREBP-1c have distinct roles in adipocyte fat metabolism in vivo.
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PMID:Overexpression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1a in mouse adipose tissue produces adipocyte hypertrophy, increased fatty acid secretion, and fatty liver. 1285 91

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition tightly linked to obesity, leads to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) during sleep. There is emerging evidence that OSA is independently associated with insulin resistance and fatty liver disease, suggesting that OSA may affect hepatic lipid metabolism. To test this hypothesis, leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice were exposed to CIH during the light phase (9 AM-9 PM) for 12 wk. Liver lipid content and gene expression profile in the liver (Affymetrix 430 GeneChip with real-time PCR validation) were determined on completion of the exposure. CIH caused a 30% increase in triglyceride and phospholipid liver content (P < 0.05), whereas liver cholesterol content was unchanged. Gene expression analysis showed that CIH upregulated multiple genes controlling 1) cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis [malic enzyme and acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase], 2) predominantly fatty acid biosynthesis (acetyl-CoA carboxylase and stearoyl-CoA desaturases 1 and 2), and 3) triglyceride and phospholipid biosynthesis (mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase). A majority of overexpressed genes were transcriptionally regulated by sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) 1, a master regulator of lipogenesis. A 2.8-fold increase in SREBP-1 gene expression in CIH was confirmed by real-time PCR (P = 0.001). Expression of major genes of cholesterol biosynthesis, SREBP-2 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, was unchanged. In conclusion, we have shown that CIH may exacerbate preexisting fatty liver of obesity via upregulation of the pathways of lipid biosynthesis in the liver.
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PMID:Chronic intermittent hypoxia upregulates genes of lipid biosynthesis in obese mice. 1622 56

De novo lipogenesis is an energy-expensive process whose role in adult mammals is poorly understood. We generated mice with liver-specific inactivation of fatty-acid synthase (FAS), a key lipogenic enzyme. On a zero-fat diet, FASKOL (FAS knockout in liver) mice developed hypoglycemia and fatty liver, which were reversed with dietary fat. These phenotypes were also observed after prolonged fasting, similarly to fasted PPARalpha-deficiency mice. Hypoglycemia, fatty liver, and defects in expression of PPARalpha target genes in FASKOL mice were corrected with a PPARalpha agonist. On either zero-fat or chow diet, FASKOL mice had low serum and hepatic cholesterol levels with elevated SREBP-2, decreased HMG-CoA reductase expression, and decreased cholesterol biosynthesis; these were also corrected with a PPARalpha agonist. These results suggest that products of the FAS reaction regulate glucose, lipid, and cholesterol metabolism by serving as endogenous activators of distinct physiological pools of PPARalpha in adult liver.
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PMID:"New" hepatic fat activates PPARalpha to maintain glucose, lipid, and cholesterol homeostasis. 1605 78

Intragastric ethanol feeding in mice induces expression of unfolded protein response/endoplasmic reticulum (UPR/ER) stress response genes. The proximate cause appears to be hyperhomocysteinemia, a well-known cause of ER stress in other contexts. Hyperhomocysteinemia appears to be due to downregulation of methionine synthase. The importance of homocysteine and ER stress in the pathogenesis of liver disease was suggested by the prevention of the alcohol-induced changes by feeding sufficient betaine to lower homocysteine via betaine homocysteine methyl transferase. The ER stress, via CHOP, causes apoptosis and CHOP null mice exhibit no apoptosis. Alcohol-induced ER stress can activate sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c and SREBP-2, which contribute to the accumulation of triglyceride and cholesterol. Hyperhomocysteinemia, ER stress and pathological changes of alcohol were minimally affected by absence of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and the effect of betaine was also independent of TNF signaling. At present ER stress as an important factor in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease is an exciting new hypothesis and ongoing research will need to further clarify its contribution. Among the issues in need of further elucidation are the role of ER stress induced by alcohol in SREBP regulation and fatty liver, as well as the precise mechanism of protection by betaine: decreased homocysteine, decreased S-adenosylhomocysteine, or increased S-adenosylmethionine.
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PMID:Unfolding new mechanisms of alcoholic liver disease in the endoplasmic reticulum. 1695 78

The worldwide increase in degenerative diseases is in part due to modifications in the lifestyle including the diet. Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental evidence shows that soy protein may prevent lipotoxicity in non-adipose tissues during obesity. The molecular mechanism by which soy protein prevents lipotoxicity involves a reduction in the insulin/glucagon ratio, resulting in a down-regulation of lipogenic genes mediated by the transcription factor sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1, and up-regulation of SREBP-2 to reduce serum cholesterol. In addition, soy protein maintains the functionality of adipose tissue-liver axis to prevent hepatic steatosis during the development of obesity.
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PMID:The role of dietary protein on lipotoxicity. 1760 16

We examined the effect of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis (L. brevis) SBC8803 on the development of alcoholic liver disease using ethanol-containing diet-fed mice. Heat-killed L. brevis was orally administered at a dose of 100 or 500 mg/kg once a day for 35 days. Alcoholic liver injury was examined by measuring the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in a serum, and the alcoholic fatty liver was assessed from the content of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol in the liver. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1, SREBP-2, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in the liver, as well as E-cadherin, Zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), and heat shock protein (Hsp) 25 in the small intestine. Oral administration of L. brevis significantly inhibited an increase in the level of serum ALT and AST, as well as the content of TG and total cholesterol in the liver caused by ethanol intake. L. brevis supplementation suppressed the overexpression of TNF-alpha, SREBP-1, and SREBP-2 mRNA in the liver induced by ethanol intake and up-regulated the expression of Hsp25 mRNA in the small intestine. These results suggest that L. brevis ameliorated the ethanol-induced liver injury and the fatty liver by suppressing the up-regulation of TNF-alpha and SREBPs in the liver. We speculate that the inhibition of TNF-alpha and SREBPs up-regulation by L. brevis is due to the inhibition of gut-derived endotoxin migration into the liver through the enhancement of intestinal barrier function by the induction of cytoprotective Hsps.
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PMID:Oral administration of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 ameliorates alcoholic liver disease in ethanol-containing diet-fed C57BL/6N mice. 1897 29

Mutations in the coding region of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha), and its upstream promoter (P2) that drives expression in the pancreas, are known to lead to maturity-onset diabetes of the young 1 (MODY1). HNF4alpha also controls gluconeogenesis and lipid metabolism in the liver, where the proximal promoter (P1) predominates. However, very little is known about the role of hepatic HNF4alpha in diabetes. Here, we examine the expression of hepatic HNF4alpha in two diabetic mouse models, db/db mice (type 2, insulin resistant) and streptozotocin-treated mice (type 1, insulin deficient). We found that the level of HNF4alpha protein and mRNA was decreased in the liver of db/db mice but increased in streptozotocin-treated mice. Because insulin increases the activity of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1c and -2, we also examined the effect of SREBPs on hepatic HNF4alpha gene expression and found that, like insulin, ectopic expression of SREBPs decreases the level of hepatic HNF4alpha protein and mRNA both in vitro in primary hepatocytes and in vivo in the liver of C57BL/6 mice. Finally, we use gel shift, chromatin immunoprecipitation, small interfering RNA, and reporter gene analysis to show that SREBP2 binds the human HNF4alpha P1 promoter and negatively regulates its expression. These data indicate that hyperinsulinemia down-regulates HNF4alpha in the liver through the up-regulation of SREBPs, thereby establishing a link between these two critical transcription factor pathways that regulate lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver. These findings also provide new insights into diabetes-associated complications such as fatty liver disease.
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PMID:Down-regulation of hepatic HNF4alpha gene expression during hyperinsulinemia via SREBPs. 1917 83

We previously studied fatty acid metabolism in the liver of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and reported the activation of the LXRalpha-SREBP-1c pathway in hepatocytes. LXRalpha regulates cholesterol metabolism as well as fatty acid metabolism, and its agonistic ligands are oxysterols. Moreover, there is some evidence that excess cholesterol intake is involved in the onset of NAFLD. Therefore, in this study, we examined the expression of cholesterol metabolism-associated genes in the NAFLD liver by real-time PCR. Expression of LXRalpha and ACAT1 was up-regulated in NAFLD and this was more noticeable in non-obese rather than in obese patients. Although the expression of the LDL receptor, which acts on cholesterol uptake, and of SREBP-2, a positive key regulator of cholesterol, was suppressed, the expression of enzymes that promote cholesterol synthesis was uniformly increased in NAFLD. Gene expression of apoB100 and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, which are associated with VLDL secretion, and ABCG5, which is involved in cholesterol excretion, was significantly elevated in NAFLD. Because cholesterol accumulates in hepatocytes in NAFLD liver, cholesterol uptake and synthesis should be physiologically down-regulated. However, cholesterol synthesis was activated in NAFLD liver, meaning that cholesterol metabolism is dysregulated in NAFLD. Overproduction of cholesterol may lead to an increased level of oxysterols, activation of LXRalpha and SREBP-1c, and enhanced fatty acid synthesis.
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PMID:Impact of cholesterol metabolism and the LXRalpha-SREBP-1c pathway on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 1936 Mar 18

Hepatic steatosis is present in insulin-resistant obese rodents and is concomitant with active lipogenesis. Hepatic lipogenesis depends on the insulin-induced activation of the transcription factor SREBP-1c. Despite prevailing insulin resistance, SREBP-1c is activated in the livers of genetically and diet-induced obese rodents. Recent studies have reported the presence of an ER stress response in the livers of obese ob/ob mice. To assess whether ER stress promotes SREBP-1c activation and thus contributes to lipogenesis, we overexpressed the chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) in the livers of ob/ob mice using an adenoviral vector. GRP78 overexpression reduced ER stress markers and inhibited SREBP-1c cleavage and the expression of SREBP-1c and SREBP-2 target genes. Furthermore, hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol contents were reduced, and insulin sensitivity improved, in GRP78-injected mice. These metabolic improvements were likely mediated by restoration of IRS-2 expression and tyrosine phosphorylation. Interestingly, GRP78 overexpression also inhibited insulin-induced SREBP-1c cleavage in cultured primary hepatocytes. These findings demonstrate that GRP78 inhibits both insulin-dependent and ER stress-dependent SREBP-1c proteolytic cleavage and explain the role of ER stress in hepatic steatosis in obese rodents.
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PMID:GRP78 expression inhibits insulin and ER stress-induced SREBP-1c activation and reduces hepatic steatosis in mice. 1936 90

Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb. (Compositae) (ASL) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat different hepatic diseases. However, a hypolipidemic effect of ASL on fatty liver disease has not been reported. Therefore, we investigated whether 95% ethanol eluate (EE), an active part of ASL, would attenuate hepatic lipid accumulation in human HepG2 cells by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Significant decreases in triglyceride levels and increases in AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylation were observed when the cells were treated with 95% EE. EE down-regulated the lipogenesis gene expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and its target genes, such as fatty acid synthase (FAS) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the lipolytic gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) and CD36 increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. These effects were abolished by pretreatment with compound C, an AMPK inhibitor. However, there were no differences in the gene expression of SREBP2, low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), hydroxymethyl glutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA), or glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2). At the same time, 95% EE significantly increased the gene expression of acyl CoA oxidase (ACOX) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Thus, AMPK mediated 95% EE induced suppression of SREBP1c and activation of PPAR-alpha respectively. These finding indicate that 95% EE attenuates hepatic lipid accumulation through AMPK activation and may be active in the prevention of serious diseases such as fatty liver, obesity, and type-2 diabetic mellitus.
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PMID:An active part of Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb. attenuates hepatic lipid accumulation through activating AMP-activated protein kinase in human HepG2 cells. 2013 13


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