Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Adaptive thermogenesis is an important component of energy homeostasis and a metabolic defense against obesity. We have cloned a novel transcriptional coactivator of nuclear receptors, termed PGC-1, from a brown fat cDNA library. PGC-1 mRNA expression is dramatically elevated upon cold exposure of mice in both brown fat and skeletal muscle, key thermogenic tissues. PGC-1 greatly increases the transcriptional activity of PPARgamma and the thyroid hormone receptor on the uncoupling protein (UCP-1) promoter. Ectopic expression of PGC-1 in white adipose cells activates expression of UCP-1 and key mitochondrial enzymes of the respiratory chain, and increases the cellular content of mitochondrial DNA. These results indicate that PGC-1 plays a key role in linking nuclear receptors to the transcriptional program of adaptive thermogenesis.
 ...
PMID:A cold-inducible coactivator of nuclear receptors linked to adaptive thermogenesis. 952 58

Obesity-prone (AKR/J) and obesity-resistant (SWR/J) mice were weaned onto low (LF) or high fat (HF) diets to identify adaptive changes in adipocyte gene expression that are associated with differences between the strains in fat deposition. Food consumption was monitored at weekly intervals and all mice were evaluated after consuming their respective diets for 4 wk for analysis of mRNA levels of selected metabolic genes. Despite similar food consumption, body weight and fat deposition were significantly greater in AKR/J than in SWR/J mice, and this difference was greatly accentuated by the HF diet. The HF diet produced distinct differences between strains in gene expression patterns among fat depots. In AKR/J mice, UCP1 mRNA was decreased 10-fold in interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) and four- to fivefold in retroperitoneal and inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT). The HF diet also decreased PGC-1 and beta(3)-adrenergic receptor mRNA by two- and ninefold in BAT from AKR/J mice. In contrast, the HF diet either increased uncoupling protein (UCP)1 in BAT or had no effect on expression of these genes in adipose tissues from SWR/J mice. UCP2 mRNA was fourfold higher in WAT from AKR/J compared with SWR/J mice and increased by an additional twofold in WAT from AKR/J mice fed the HF diet. UCP2 was unaffected by diet in SWR/J mice. These studies show that the diet-induced obesity of AKR/J mice is characterized by increased metabolic efficiency and is associated with changes in adipocyte gene expression that limit the adaptive thermogenic response to increased energy density.
 ...
PMID:Adaptive changes in adipocyte gene expression differ in AKR/J and SWR/J mice during diet-induced obesity. 1242 46

Investigations of biological programs that are controlled by gene transcription have mainly studied the regulation of transcription factors. However, there are examples in which the primary focus of biological regulation is at the level of a transcriptional coactivator. We have reviewed here the molecular mechanisms and biological programs controlled by the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha). Key cellular signals that control energy and nutrient homeostasis, such as cAMP and cytokine pathways, strongly activate PGC-1 alpha. Once PGC-1 alpha is activated, it powerfully induces and coordinates gene expression that stimulates mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in brown fat, fiber-type switching in skeletal muscle, and multiple aspects of the fasted response in liver. The regulation of these metabolic and cell fate decisions by PGC-1 alpha is achieved through specific interaction with a variety of transcription factors such as nuclear hormone receptors, nuclear respiratory factors, and muscle-specific transcription factors. PGC-1 alpha therefore constitutes one of the first and clearest examples in which biological programs are chiefly regulated by a transcriptional coactivator in response to environmental stimuli. Finally, PGC-1 alpha's control of energy homeostasis suggests that it could be a target for anti-obesity or diabetes drugs.
 ...
PMID:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha): transcriptional coactivator and metabolic regulator. 1258 10

Obesity, i.e. an excess of white adipose tissue (WAT), predisposes to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Brown adipose tissue is present in rodents but not in adult humans. It expresses uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) that allows dissipation of energy as heat. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) and PPAR gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) activate mouse UCP1 gene transcription. We show here that human PGC-1 alpha induced the activation of the human UCP1 promoter by PPAR gamma. Adenovirus-mediated expression of human PGC-1 alpha increased the expression of UCP1, respiratory chain proteins, and fatty acid oxidation enzymes in human subcutaneous white adipocytes. Changes in the expression of other genes were also consistent with brown adipocyte mRNA expression profile. PGC-1 alpha increased the palmitate oxidation rate by fat cells. Human white adipocytes can therefore acquire typical features of brown fat cells. The PPAR gamma agonist rosiglitazone potentiated the effect of PGC-1 alpha on UCP1 expression and fatty acid oxidation. Hence, PGC-1 alpha is able to direct human WAT PPAR gamma toward a transcriptional program linked to energy dissipation. However, the response of typical white adipocyte targets to rosiglitazone treatment was not altered by PGC-1 alpha. UCP1 mRNA induction was shown in vivo by injection of the PGC-1 alpha adenovirus in mouse white fat. Alteration of energy balance through an increased utilization of fat in WAT may be a conceivable strategy for the treatment of obesity.
 ...
PMID:Acquirement of brown fat cell features by human white adipocytes. 1280 71

A well balanced body energy budget controlled by limitation of calorie uptake and/or increment of energy expenditure, which is typically achieved by proper physical exercise, is most effective against obesity and diabetes mellitus. Recently, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma, a member of the nuclear receptor, and its cofactors have been shown to be involved in lipid metabolism and in the control of energy expenditure. Here we show that PPARgamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1) beta functions as ERRL1 (for ERR ligand 1), which can bind and activate orphan ERRs (estrogen receptor-related receptors) in vitro. Consistently, PGC-1beta/ERRL1 transgenic mice exhibit increased expression of the medium-chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase, a known ERR target and a pivotal enzyme of mitochondrial beta-oxidation in skeletal muscle. As a result, the PGC-1beta/ERRL1 mice show a state similar to an athlete; namely, the mice are hyperphagic and of elevated energy expenditure and are resistant to obesity induced by a high-fat diet or by a genetic abnormality. These results demonstrate that PGC-1beta/ERRL1 can function as a protein ligand of ERR, and that its level contributes to the control of energy balance in vivo, and provide a strategy for developing novel antiobesity drugs.
 ...
PMID:PPARgamma coactivator 1beta/ERR ligand 1 is an ERR protein ligand, whose expression induces a high-energy expenditure and antagonizes obesity. 1453 Mar 91

New Zealand Obese (NZO) male mice develop a polygenic juvenile-onset obesity and maturity-onset hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia (diabesity). Here we report on metabolic and molecular changes associated with the antidiabesity action of CL316,243 (CL), a beta(3)-adrenergic receptor agonist. Dietary CL treatment initiated at weaning reduced the peripubertal rise in body weight and adiposity while promoting growth without suppressing hyperphagia. The changes in adiposity, in turn, suppressed development of hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia. These CL-induced alterations were reflected by decreased adipose tissue mass, increased expression of transcripts for uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), peroxisome proliferater-activated receptor coactivator-1 (PGC-1), and robust development of brown adipocyte function in white fat. Increased drug-mediated energy dissipation elicited a 1.5 degrees C increase in whole body temperature under conditions of increased food intake but with no change in physical activity. Indirect calorimetry of mice treated with CL showed both increased energy expenditure and a restoration of a prominent diurnal pattern in the respiratory exchange ratio suggesting improved nutrient sensing. Our data suggest that CL promotes increased energy dissipation in white and brown fat depots by augmenting thermogenesis and by metabolic re-partitioning of energy in a diabesity-protective fashion. This is the first report demonstrating the effects of dietary beta(3)-agonist in preventing the onset of diabesity in a polygenic rodent model of type 2 diabetes.
 ...
PMID:Contributions of dysregulated energy metabolism to type 2 diabetes development in NZO/H1Lt mice with polygenic obesity. 1516 32

The staggerer mice carry a deletion in the RORalpha gene and have a prolonged humoral response, overproduce inflammatory cytokines, and are immunodeficient. Furthermore, the staggerer mice display lowered plasma apoA-I/-II, decreased plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, and develop hypo-alpha-lipoproteinemia and atherosclerosis. However, relatively little is known about RORalpha in the context of target tissues, target genes, and lipid homeostasis. For example, RORalpha is abundantly expressed in skeletal muscle, a major mass peripheral tissue that accounts for approximately 40% of total body weight and 50% of energy expenditure. This lean tissue is a primary site of glucose disposal and fatty acid oxidation. Consequently, muscle has a significant role in insulin sensitivity, obesity, and the blood-lipid profile. In particular, the role of RORalpha in skeletal muscle metabolism has not been investigated, and the contribution of skeletal muscle to the ROR-/- phenotype has not been resolved. We utilize ectopic dominant negative RORalpha expression in skeletal muscle cells to understand the regulatory role of RORs in this major mass peripheral tissue. Exogenous dominant negative RORalpha expression in skeletal muscle cells represses the endogenous levels of RORalpha and -gamma mRNAs and ROR-dependent gene expression. Moreover, we observed attenuated expression of many genes involved in lipid homeostasis. Furthermore, we show that the muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 and caveolin-3 promoters are directly regulated by ROR and coactivated by p300 and PGC-1. This study implicates RORs in the control of lipid homeostasis in skeletal muscle. In conclusion, we speculate that ROR agonists would increase fatty acid catabolism in muscle and suggest selective activators of ROR may have therapeutic utility in the treatment of obesity and atherosclerosis.
 ...
PMID:RORalpha regulates the expression of genes involved in lipid homeostasis in skeletal muscle cells: caveolin-3 and CPT-1 are direct targets of ROR. 1519 55

Endurance exercise training induces an increase in the respiratory capacity of muscle, resulting in an increased capacity to generate ATP as well as improved efficiency of muscle contraction. Such adaptations are largely the result of a coordinated genetic response that increases mitochondrial proteins, fatty acid oxidation enzymes and the exercise- and insulin-stimulated glucose transporter GLUT4, and shifts the contractile and regulatory proteins to their more efficient isoforms. In recent years a number of the transcriptional regulators involved in this genetic response have been identified and these factors can be classified into two different groups. The first group comprises transcription factors such as nuclear respiratory factors (NRF) 1 and 2 and PPAR alpha that bind DNA in a sequence-specific manner. The second group, referred to as transcriptional co-activators, alter transcription without directly binding to DNA. The PPAR gamma co-activator (PGC) family of proteins have been identified as the central family of transcriptional co-activators for induction of mitochondrial biogenesis. PGC-1 alpha is activated by exercise, and is sufficient to produce the endurance phenotype through direct interactions with NRF-1 and PPAR alpha, and potentially NRF-2. Furthering the understanding of the activation of PGC proteins following exercise has implications beyond improving athletic performance, including the possibility of providing targets for the treatment of frailty in the elderly, obesity and diseases such as mitochondrial myopathies and diabetes.
 ...
PMID:Involvement of PPAR gamma co-activator-1, nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2, and PPAR alpha in the adaptive response to endurance exercise. 1529 42

Many complex biological programs are controlled at the level of gene transcription by DNA binding transcription factors. Recent studies have revealed a novel mode of regulation by coactivator proteins, best illustrated by the PGC-1 family of coactivators. These factors are highly responsive to a variety of environmental cues, from temperature to nutritional status to physical activity, and they coordinately regulate metabolic pathways and biological processes in a tissue-specific manner. Notably, the PGC-1 coactivators play a critical role in the maintenance of glucose, lipid, and energy homeostasis and are likely involved in the pathogenic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and cardiomyopathy. These actions also raise new opportunities for the development of novel therapeutics.
 ...
PMID:Metabolic control through the PGC-1 family of transcription coactivators. 1605 85

Dietary restriction of calories (caloric restriction [CR]) increases longevity in phylogenetically diverse species. CR retards or prevents age-dependent deterioration of tissues and an array of spontaneous and chemically induced diseases associated with obesity including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the beneficial effects of CR will help identify novel dietary, pharmacological, and lifestyle strategies for slowing the rate of aging and preventing these diseases as well as identify factors which modulate chemical toxicity. Here, we review the involvement of transcriptional coactivator proteins, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1) alpha and beta, and regulated nuclear receptors (NR) in mediating the phenotypic changes found in models of longevity which include rodent CR models and mouse mutants in which insulin and/or insulin-like growth factor-I signaling is attenuated. PGC-1alpha is transcriptionally or posttranslationally regulated in mammals by: 1) forkhead box "other" (FoxO) transcription factors through an insulin/insulin-like growth factor-I -dependent pathway, 2) glucagon-stimulated cellular AMP (cAMP) response element binding protein, 3) stress-activated kinase signaling through p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and 4) the deacetylase and longevity factor sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). PGC-1alpha and PGC-1beta regulate the ligand-dependent and -independent activation of a large number of NR including PPARalpha and constitutive activated receptor (CAR). These NR regulate genes involved in nutrient and xenobiotic transport and metabolism as well as resistance to stress. CR reverses age-dependent decreases in PGC-1alpha, PPARalpha, and regulated genes. Strategies that target one or multiple PGC-1-regulated NR could be used to mimic the beneficial health effects found in models of longevity.
 ...
PMID:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 in caloric restriction and other models of longevity. 1642 81


1 2 3 4 Next >>