Project description:The liver plays essential roles in maintaining systemic glucolipid homeostasis under ever changing metabolic stressors. Metabolic dysregulation can lead to both adaptive and maladaptive changes that impact systemic physiology. Here we examined disparate genetic and environmental metabolic stressors and identified Apolipoprotein A4 (ApoA4) as a circulating protein upregulated in liver-specific knockouts for Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 2 and Pyruvate Carboxylase. We found this upregulation to be exacerbated by fasting and high fat or ketogenic diets. Unique among these models was a concomitant increase in Activating Transcription Factor 3 (Atf3). Liver-specific overexpression of Atf3 resulted in increased ApoA4 expression in a sex-dependent manner. To understand the requirement of Atf3 to metabolic stress, we generated liver-specific Atf3, Cpt2 double knockout mice. These experiments demonstrated the requirement for Atf3 in the induction of ApoA4 mRNA, ApoA4 protein, and serum triglycerides that were also sex dependent. These experiments reveal the roles of hepatic Atf3 and ApoA4 in response to metabolic stress in vivo.
Project description:Comprehensive analysis of global ATF3-binding profiles in the human genome under quiescent and stressed (DNA damage) conditions. Although expressed at a low level, quiescent ATF3 was found to bind a large number of genomic sites that are often associated with genes required for cellular stress responses. While these ATF3-binding sites often contained motifs for other transcription factors (TFs), we found that ATF3 bound a large portion of active enhancers characterized by p300 binding, and as a consequence, ATF3 often regulates expression of the genes proximal to these enhancers. While DNA damage elicited by camptothecin dramatically altered the ATF3 binding profile, most of the genes regulated by ATF3 upon DNA damage were pre-bound by ATF3 before the stress. Moreover, we demonstrated that ATF3 was co-localized with the major stress responder p53 at genomic sites, thereby contributing to induction of p53 target gene expression upon DNA damage. Therefore, our results suggest that ATF3 bookmarks genomic sites and interacts with other TFs for transcriptional regulation under quiescent and stressed conditions.
Project description:Comprehensive analysis of global ATF3-binding profiles in the human genome under quiescent and stressed (DNA damage) conditions. Although expressed at a low level, quiescent ATF3 was found to bind a large number of genomic sites that are often associated with genes required for cellular stress responses. While these ATF3-binding sites often contained motifs for other transcription factors (TFs), we found that ATF3 bound a large portion of active enhancers characterized by p300 binding, and as a consequence, ATF3 often regulates expression of the genes proximal to these enhancers. While DNA damage elicited by camptothecin dramatically altered the ATF3 binding profile, most of the genes regulated by ATF3 upon DNA damage were pre-bound by ATF3 before the stress. Moreover, we demonstrated that ATF3 was co-localized with the major stress responder p53 at genomic sites, thereby contributing to induction of p53 target gene expression upon DNA damage. Therefore, our results suggest that ATF3 bookmarks genomic sites and interacts with other TFs for transcriptional regulation under quiescent and stressed conditions.
Project description:The liver immune microenvironment is a key element in the development of hepatic inflammation in NAFLD. However, the precise immune cell subsets that exacerbate fatty liver remain elusive. ApoA4 deficiency increases the hepatic lipid burden, insulin resistance, and metabolic inflammation. The aim of this study was to profile the hepatic immune cells affected by ApoA4 in NAFL. We performed scRNA-seq on liver immune cells from WT and ApoA4-deficient mice administered a high-fat diet.
Project description:This study aimed to investigate how many genes were regulated by hepatocyte ATF3. C57BL/6J mice were injected intravenously with adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing human activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) under the control of an albumin promoter (AAV8-ALB-ATF3) or AAV8-ALB-Null). After 8 weeks, liver samples were used for RNA sequencing using Illumina NextSeq 500. Over 3000 genes were found to be up- or down-regulated by ATF3.
Project description:Integration of metabolic, stress and immune responses plays a fundamental role during animal development to maintain energy homeostasis while ensuring growth and proper developmental timing. Perturbation of metabolic and immune signaling circuits has detrimental consequences to animal development including growth retardation, organ malfunction and emergence of the metabolic syndrome. Here, we demonstrate that the Drosophila basic region-leucine zipper (bZIP) protein, Activating transcription factor 3 (Atf3), safeguards a balance of metabolic and immune system responses during fly development. Loss of Atf3 function results in lethality during late-larval and pupal stages. Atf3-deficient larvae exhibit phenotypes resembling the metabolic syndrome in mammals. Excessive accumulation of lipids in the larval fat body and gut is accompanied by altered expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Moreover, the fat body of atf3 mutants becomes infiltrated by hemocytes. The major pro-inflammatory pathways signaling through JNK and Imd are hyperactivated in atf3 mutants, causing ectopic expression of antimicrobial peptide genes. Suppression of the immune response, achieved by reducing the gene dose of the transcription factors FOXO or NF-kappaB/Relish, significantly improves lipid metabolism and normalizes gene expression profile of atf3 mutants. In addition, heterozygosity of relish partially rescues lethality of the atf3 mutants. Our data thus identify Atf3 as an essential player that links metabolic and immune system homeostasis during animal development. Examination of mRNA levels from four genotypes of male, 3rd instar Drosophila melanogaster larvae. mRNA levels from four genotypes relative to y w control were determined using two biological replicates per genotype. Genome build: BDGP R5/dm3, April 2006
Project description:Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in initiating and promoting epithelial cancers. The specific chromatin modifications involved in CAF activation remain to be elucidated. CSL, a constitutive transcriptional repressor and mediator of canonical Notch signaling, functions as a direct negative regulator of CAF effector genes and suppresses cancer/stromal cell expansion. We find that ATF3, a key stress responsive transcriptional repressor up-regulated in the acute UVA response of skin fibroblasts, is down-modulated in stromal cells of premalignant skin SCC lesions similarly to CSL. Increased ATF3 expression counteracts the consequences of compromised CSL, binding to a large set of overlapping target genes. At low basal levels, ATF3 converges with CSL in negative control of CAF activation, binding to a very small number of genomic loci that encompass mostly non-coding RNAs and pseudogenes. Silencing of ATF3 results in chromatin modifications and Pol II recruitment to many loci to which ATF3 does not bind, which are similarly affected by CSL silencing. The observed changes are of functional significance, as Bet inhibitors, which unlink activated chromatin from the basic transcription apparatus, have opposite effects of ATF3 or CSL silencing on all tested CAF effector genes. They exert a similar impact on clinically-derived CAFs both in vitro and upon topical in vivo treatment. Thus, ATF3 converges with CSL in global chromatin control of CAF activation with their loss eliciting epigenetic changes amenable to cancer and stroma-focused intervention.
Project description:Expression of the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) gene is induced by Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. In turn, ATF3 protein inhibits the expression of various TLR-driven pro-inflammatory genes. Given its counter-regulatory role in diverse innate immune responses, we defined the effects of ATF3 on neutrophilic airway inflammation in mice. ATF3 deletion was associated with increased lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-driven airway epithelia production of CXCL1, but not CXCL2, findings concordant with a consensus ATF3-binding site identified solely in the Cxcl1 promoter. Unexpectedly, ATF3-deficient mice did not exhibit increased airway neutrophilia after LPS challenge. Bone marrow chimeras revealed a specific reduction in ATF3-/- neutrophil recruitment to wild type lungs. In vitro, ATF3-/- neutrophils exhibited a profound chemotaxis defect. Global gene expression analysis identified ablated Tiam2 expression in ATF3-/- neutrophils. TIAM2 regulates cellular motility by activating Rac1-mediated focal adhesion disassembly. Notably, ATF3-/- and ATF3-sufficient TIAM2 knockdown neutrophils, both lacking TIAM2, exhibited increased focal complex area, along with excessive CD11b-mediated F-actin polymerization. Together, our data describe a dichotomous role for ATF3-mediated regulation of neutrophilic responses: inhibition of neutrophil chemokine production, but promotion of neutrophil chemotaxis. Ly6G+ neutrophils were purified by magnetic beads from WT or ATF3 KO bone marrow and RNA was immediately isolated for global gene expression using microarrays.
Project description:Exercise is a powerful driver of physiological angiogenesis during adulthood, but the mechanisms of exercise-induced vascular expansion are poorly understood. We explored endothelial heterogeneity in skeletal muscle and identified two capillary muscle endothelial cells (mEC) populations which are characterized by differential expression of ATF3/4. Spatial mapping showed that ATF3/4 + mECs are enriched in red oxidative muscle areas while ATF3/4 low ECs lie adjacent to white glycolytic fibers. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that red ATF3/4 + mECs are more angiogenic when compared to white ATF3/4 low mECs. Mechanistically, ATF3/4 in mECs control genes involved in amino acid uptake and metabolism and metabolically prime red (ATF3/4 + ) mECs for angiogenesis. As a consequence, supplementation of non-essential amino acids and overexpression of ATF4 increased proliferation of white mECs. Finally, deleting Atf4 in ECs impaired exercise-induced angiogenesis. Our findings illustrate that spatial metabolic angiodiversity determines the angiogenic potential of muscle ECs.