The sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are key regulators for sterol homeostasis in most fungi. In the citrus postharvest pathogen Penicillium digitatum, the SREBP homolog is required for fungicide resistance and regulation of CYP51 expression. In this study, we identified another SREBP transcription factor PdSreB in P. digitatum, and the biological functions of both SREBPs wer...

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with insulin resistance, obesity, and dyslipidemia. NAFLD encompasses a wide range of states from the simple accumulation of triglycerides in the hepatocytes to serious states accompanied by inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. De novo lipogenesis has been shown to be a significant factor in the development of hepatic steatosis ...

The expression of human squalene synthase (HSS) gene is transcriptionally regulated in HepG-2 cells, up to 10-fold, by variations in cellular cholesterol homeostasis. An earlier deletion analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the HSS gene demonstrated that most of the HSS promoter activity is detected within a 69-base pair sequence located between nucleotides -131 and -200. ADD1/SREBP-1c, a rat ...

In previous work, we characterized a 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine response element (T3RE) in acetyl-CoA carboxylase-alpha (ACCalpha) promoter 2 that mediated 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) regulation of ACCalpha transcription in chick embryo hepatocytes. Sequence comparison analysis revealed the presence of sterol regulatory element-1 (SRE-1) located 5 bp downstream of the ACCalpha T3RE. Here, we inve...

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a member of the subtilases that promotes the internalization and degradation of LDL receptor in liver and thereby controls the level of LDL cholesterol in plasma. Here, we show that the expression of PCSK9 in HepG2 cells is completely dependent on the absence or presence of sterols. The minimal promoter region of the PCSK9 gene contains a...

Fat build-up is determined by the balance between lipogenesis and lipolysis/fatty acid oxidation. In the past few years, our understanding of the nutritional, hormonal and particularly transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis has expanded greatly. Lipogenesis is stimulated by a high carbohydrate diet, whereas it is inhibited by polyunsaturated fatty acids and by fasting. These effects are part...

Change in body weight is a frequent side effect of antidepressants, and is considered to be mediated by central effects on food intake and energy expenditure. The antidepressant phenelzine (NARDIL) potently inhibits both monoamine oxidase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activities, two enzymes that are highly expressed in adipose tissue, raising the possibility that it could directly ...

Here, we describe an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced missense error in the membrane-bound transcription factor peptidase site 1 (S1P)-encoding gene (Mbtps1) that causes enhanced susceptibility to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. S1P cleaves and activates cAMP response element binding protein/ATF transcription factors, the sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), and...

Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that proliferate through an RNA intermediate. Transposons do not encode transcription factors and thus rely on host factors for mRNA expression and survival. Despite information regarding conditions under which elements are upregulated, much remains to be learned about the regulatory mechanisms or factors controlling retrotransposon expression. Here,...