Project description:Neurons utilize glucose to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) essential for their survival, excitability and synaptic signaling, as well as initiating changes in neuronal structure and function. Defects in oxidative metabolism and mitochondria functions are also associated with aging and diverse human neurological diseases1-4. While neurons are known to adapt their metabolism to meet the increased energy demands of complex behaviors such as learning and memory, the molecular underpinnings regulating this process remain poorly understood4-6. Here we show that the orphan nuclear receptor estrogen related receptor gamma (ERRγ) becomes highly expressed during retinoic-acid induced neurogenesis and is widely expressed in neuronal nuclei throughout the brain. Mechanistically, we show that ERRγ directly orchestrates the expression of networks of genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and energy generation in neurons. The importance of this regulation is evidenced by decreased adaptive metabolic capacity in cultured neurons lacking ERRγ, and reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in ERRγ-/- hippocampal slices. Notably, the defect in LTP was rescued by the metabolic intermediate pyruvate, functionally linking the ERRγ knockout metabolic phenotype and memory formation. Consistent with this notion, mice lacking neuronal ERRγ exhibit defects in spatial learning and memory. These findings implicate ERRγ in the metabolic adaptations required for long-term memory formation. We used ChIP-Seq analysis to determine the genome-wide binding of ERRγ in neurons derived from ES cells.
Project description:Neurons utilize glucose to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) essential for their survival, excitability and synaptic signaling, as well as initiating changes in neuronal structure and function. Defects in oxidative metabolism and mitochondria functions are also associated with aging and diverse human neurological diseases1-4. While neurons are known to adapt their metabolism to meet the increased energy demands of complex behaviors such as learning and memory, the molecular underpinnings regulating this process remain poorly understood4-6. Here we show that the orphan nuclear receptor estrogen related receptor gamma (ERRγ) becomes highly expressed during retinoic-acid induced neurogenesis and is widely expressed in neuronal nuclei throughout the brain. Mechanistically, we show that ERRγ directly orchestrates the expression of networks of genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and energy generation in neurons. The importance of this regulation is evidenced by decreased adaptive metabolic capacity in cultured neurons lacking ERRγ, and reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in ERRγ-/- hippocampal slices. Notably, the defect in LTP was rescued by the metabolic intermediate pyruvate, functionally linking the ERRγ knockout metabolic phenotype and memory formation. Consistent with this notion, mice lacking neuronal ERRγ exhibit defects in spatial learning and memory. These findings implicate ERRγ in the metabolic adaptations required for long-term memory formation. We used microarray analysis to compare the genome-wide gene expression changes between wild type (WT) and ERRγ-/- P0 cerebral cortex as it contains mainly neuronal lineage at this stage compared to adult cortex.
Project description:Recent studies have established the importance of ERRγ as a required participant for insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. Key downstream genes of ERRγ remain unclear in the pancreatic β cell. To understand the molecular role of ERRγ and elucidate potential key candidate genes involved in pancreatic β cells, the eukaryotic expression plasmid containing mouse ERRγ was constructed and transfected into NIT-1 pancreatic β cells. Overexpression of ERRγ was confirmed by Q-RT-PCR and western blot. RNA-seq was conducted to get the gene expression profiling between the experimental cells and control cells. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and subsequently analyzed by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. We found that overexpression of ERRγ in pancreatic β cells enables regulation of the expression of certain genes involved in cell apoptosis and mitochondrial function, such as TFPT, Bcl7c, Dap, Thoc6, Ube2d3, ATP5H, MPV17, and NDUFA6. GO analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in biological regulation, cell, and binding. KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated that DEGs were significantly enriched in infectious diseases, translation annd signal transduction. This study helps to further understand and reposition the molecular mechanisms of ERRγ in pancreatic β cells.
Project description:Neurons utilize glucose to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) essential for their survival, excitability and synaptic signaling, as well as initiating changes in neuronal structure and function. Defects in oxidative metabolism and mitochondria functions are also associated with aging and diverse human neurological diseases1-4. While neurons are known to adapt their metabolism to meet the increased energy demands of complex behaviors such as learning and memory, the molecular underpinnings regulating this process remain poorly understood4-6. Here we show that the orphan nuclear receptor estrogen related receptor gamma (ERRγ) becomes highly expressed during retinoic-acid induced neurogenesis and is widely expressed in neuronal nuclei throughout the brain. Mechanistically, we show that ERRγ directly orchestrates the expression of networks of genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and energy generation in neurons. The importance of this regulation is evidenced by decreased adaptive metabolic capacity in cultured neurons lacking ERRγ, and reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in ERRγ-/- hippocampal slices. Notably, the defect in LTP was rescued by the metabolic intermediate pyruvate, functionally linking the ERRγ knockout metabolic phenotype and memory formation. Consistent with this notion, mice lacking neuronal ERRγ exhibit defects in spatial learning and memory. These findings implicate ERRγ in the metabolic adaptations required for long-term memory formation.
Project description:Neurons utilize glucose to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) essential for their survival, excitability and synaptic signaling, as well as initiating changes in neuronal structure and function. Defects in oxidative metabolism and mitochondria functions are also associated with aging and diverse human neurological diseases1-4. While neurons are known to adapt their metabolism to meet the increased energy demands of complex behaviors such as learning and memory, the molecular underpinnings regulating this process remain poorly understood4-6. Here we show that the orphan nuclear receptor estrogen related receptor gamma (ERRγ) becomes highly expressed during retinoic-acid induced neurogenesis and is widely expressed in neuronal nuclei throughout the brain. Mechanistically, we show that ERRγ directly orchestrates the expression of networks of genes involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and energy generation in neurons. The importance of this regulation is evidenced by decreased adaptive metabolic capacity in cultured neurons lacking ERRγ, and reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in ERRγ-/- hippocampal slices. Notably, the defect in LTP was rescued by the metabolic intermediate pyruvate, functionally linking the ERRγ knockout metabolic phenotype and memory formation. Consistent with this notion, mice lacking neuronal ERRγ exhibit defects in spatial learning and memory. These findings implicate ERRγ in the metabolic adaptations required for long-term memory formation.
Project description:Islet β-cells from newborn mammals need a maturation process to become mature functional beta cells. The detailed molecular mechanisms were not completely understood. This study was designed to reveal the dynamic gene expression changes during pancreatic beta-cell maturation in postnatal mice. We also want to understand how genetic mutations that impair beta-cell function change the genetic networks involved in the beta-cell maturation process. For these aims, pancreatic beta cells were isolated at P1 islets based on the expression of a MipeGFP transgene in a genetic background with pancreatic specific inactivation of Myt1, Myt1L, and St18 (denoted as MytDelpanc; MipeGFP).
Project description:Here we show that estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is an essential transcriptional coordinator of both renal mitochondrial and reabsorptive functions. ERRγ is highly and specifically expressed in the RECs, and its expression correlates with kidney function in humans. We generated REC-ERRγ KO mice which developed severe renal mitochondrial and reabsorptive dysfunction and fluid-filled cysts. Transcriptome and cistrome analysis revealed that ERRγ directly regulates mitochondrial metabolism and renal reabsorption. ChIP-reChIP-Seq studies further suggest that ERRγ employs a distinct mechanism to regulate renal reabsorption genes through functional cooperation with hepatic nuclear factor 1 beta (HNF1β), mutations of which cause strikingly similar renal dysfunction and cysts in humans and animals. Together these findings reveal a novel role for ERRγ in simultaneously coordinating a transcriptional program for renal energy production via mitochondria and energy consumption to perform reabsorptive functions required for normal kidney function
Project description:Here we show that estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is an essential transcriptional coordinator of both renal mitochondrial and reabsorptive functions. ERRγ is highly and specifically expressed in the RECs, and its expression correlates with kidney function in humans. We generated REC-ERRγ KO mice which developed severe renal mitochondrial and reabsorptive dysfunction and fluid-filled cysts. Transcriptome and cistrome analysis revealed that ERRγ directly regulates mitochondrial metabolism and renal reabsorption. ChIP-reChIP-Seq studies further suggest that ERRγ employs a distinct mechanism to regulate renal reabsorption genes through functional cooperation with hepatic nuclear factor 1 beta (HNF1β), mutations of which cause strikingly similar renal dysfunction and cysts in humans and animals. Together these findings reveal a novel role for ERRγ in simultaneously coordinating a transcriptional program for renal energy production via mitochondria and energy consumption to perform reabsorptive functions required for normal kidney function