FOXO animal models reveal a variety of diverse roles for FOXO transcription factors

Dynamic FoxO transcription factors.

Forkhead box O (FoxO) transcription factors FoxO1, FoxO3a, FoxO4 and FoxO6, the mammalian orthologs of Caenorhabditis elegans DAF-16, are emerging as an important family of proteins that modulate the expression of genes involved in apoptosis, the cell cycle, DNA damage repair, oxidative stress, cell differentiation, glucose metabolism and other cellular functions. FoxO proteins are regulated by...

FOXO transcription factors

What are they? FOXO proteins are a subgroup of the Forkhead family of transcription factors. This family is characterized by a conserved DNA-binding domain (the ‘Forkhead box’, or FOX) and comprises more than 100 members in humans, classified from FOXA to FOXR on the basis of sequence similarity. These proteins participate in very diverse functions: for example, FOXE3 is necessary for proper ey...

FoxO Transcription Factors Promote Autophagy

In the heart, autophagy is required for normal cardiac function and also has been implicated in cardiovascular disease. FoxO transcription factors promote autophagy in skeletal muscle and have additional roles in regulation of cell size, proliferation, andmetabolism.Herewe investigate the role of FoxO transcription factors in regulating autophagy and cell size in cardiomyocytes. In cultured rat...

FOXO Transcription Factors as Regulators

Redox regulation of FoxO transcription factors

Transcription factors of the forkhead box, class O (FoxO) family are important regulators of the cellular stress response and promote the cellular antioxidant defense. On one hand, FoxOs stimulate the transcription of genes coding for antioxidant proteins located in different subcellular compartments, such as in mitochondria (i.e. superoxide dismutase-2, peroxiredoxins 3 and 5) and peroxisomes ...