Project description:The sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors are central transcriptional regulators of sterol- and fatty acid metabolism. Using a suite of human haploid genetic screens, we identify the SREBP Regulating Gene (SPRING; C12ORF49) as a novel regulator of this pathway. SPRING is a glycosylated Golgi-resident membrane protein. Genetic ablation of SPRING in human Hap1 cells, murine Hepa1-6 hepatoma cells, and in primary murine hepatocytes leads to a marked reduction in SREBP signaling. In mice, deletion of Spring results in embryonic lethality. However, we show that adenoviral-mediated silencing of hepatic Spring expression also attenuates the SREBP response. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that attenuated SREBP signaling in SPRINGKO cells is a result of reduced SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) and its mislocalization. Whereas in control cells SCAP cycles between the ER and the Golgi in a sterol-dependent manner, in SPRINGKO cells SCAP is trapped in the Golgi irrespective of the cellular sterol status. Consistent with limited functional SCAP in SPRINGKO cells, reintroducing SCAP restores SREBP-dependent signaling, cholesterol biosynthesis, and lipoprotein uptake. Consistent with SREBP signaling being required for cell growth and proliferation, a wide range of human tumor cell lines display dependency on SPRING expression. In conclusion, we identify SPRING as a previously unrecognized determinant of the SREBP pathway that is essential for proper SCAP function.
Project description:The sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are transcription factors that govern cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism. Owing to their central role in controlling hepatic lipid and lipoprotein metabolism their activity is tightly coordinated, and accordingly dysregulation of the SREBP pathway is associated with development of dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Using a suite of genome-wide genetic screens we have recently identified SPRING (C12ORF49) as a novel post-transcriptional regulator of SREBP activation in vitro. Our previous work demonstrated that constitutive ablation of Spring in mice is embryonically lethal. Here we show that inducible global deletion of Spring is also untolerated, and therefore to interrogate the physiological role of SPRING in controlling hepatic lipid metabolism we developed liver-specific Spring knockout mice (LKO). Liver transcriptomics and proteomics analysis revealed severely attenuated SREBP signaling in livers and in hepatocytes of LKO mice, which was associated with marked effects on both plasma and hepatic lipid levels. In plasma, total cholesterol levels were dramatically reduced in both male and female LKO mice, apparent in both the LDL and HDL fractions, while triglyceride levels remained largely unaffected. In liver, loss of Spring diminished cholesterol and triglyceride biosynthesis resulting in decreased hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride content. This coincided with reduced secretion of VLDL into the circulation. Consistent with diminished hepatic de novo lipogenesis, LKO mice were protected from developing hepatosteatosis when challenged with a fructose-rich diet. Supporting the significance of our findings in mice, we identified common and rare SPRING genetic variants that are strongly associated with circulating HDL-c and ApoA1 levels in humans. Collectively, our study positions SPRING as a core component of hepatic SREBP signaling, and consequently of systemic lipid metabolism in mice and humans.
Project description:Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2 (PARP-2) is acknowledged as a DNA repair enzyme; however, recently metabolic properties had been attributed to it. Hereby, we examined the metabolic consequences of PARP-2 ablation in liver. Microarray analysis of PARP-2 knockdown HepG2 cells revealed the dysregulation of lipid and cholesterol metabolism genes. Induction of cholesterol biosynthesis genes stemmed from the enhanced expression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1. We revealed that PARP-2 is a suppressor of the SREBP-1 promoter, therefore ablation of PARP-2 induces SREBP-1 expression and consequently cholesterol synthesis. PARP-2-/- mice had higher SREBP-1 expression that was translated into enhanced hepatic and serum cholesterol levels. PARP-2 silencing was performed employing shPARP-2 (small hairpin) and scPARP-2 (scrambled) shRNA by lentiviral delivery (Sigma) using 40 MOI lentiviruses coding shRNA sequence against PARP-2.
Project description:The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body, most of which comes from in situ synthesis. Here we demonstrate that in insulin-deficient diabetic mice, there is a reduction in expression of the major transcriptional regulator of cholesterol metabolism, SREBP-2, and its downstream genes in the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain, leading to a reduction in brain cholesterol synthesis and synaptosomal cholesterol content. These changes are due, at least in part, to direct effects of insulin to regulate these genes in neurons and glial cells and can be corrected by intracerebroventricular injections of insulin. Knockdown of SREBP-2 in cultured neurons causes a decrease in markers of synapse formation and reduction of SREBP-2 in the hypothalamus of mice using shRNA results in increased feeding and weight gain. Thus, insulin and diabetes can alter brain cholesterol metabolism, and this may play an important role in the neurologic and metabolic dysfunction observed in diabetes and other disease states. Hypothalamus was compared between streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic, ob/ob, and control mice, with 5-6 replicates per goup.
Project description:Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2 (PARP-2) is acknowledged as a DNA repair enzyme; however, recently metabolic properties had been attributed to it. Hereby, we examined the metabolic consequences of PARP-2 ablation in liver. Microarray analysis of PARP-2 knockdown HepG2 cells revealed the dysregulation of lipid and cholesterol metabolism genes. Induction of cholesterol biosynthesis genes stemmed from the enhanced expression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1. We revealed that PARP-2 is a suppressor of the SREBP-1 promoter, therefore ablation of PARP-2 induces SREBP-1 expression and consequently cholesterol synthesis. PARP-2-/- mice had higher SREBP-1 expression that was translated into enhanced hepatic and serum cholesterol levels.
Project description:The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body, most of which comes from in situ synthesis. Here we demonstrate that in insulin-deficient diabetic mice, there is a reduction in expression of the major transcriptional regulator of cholesterol metabolism, SREBP-2, and its downstream genes in the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain, leading to a reduction in brain cholesterol synthesis and synaptosomal cholesterol content. These changes are due, at least in part, to direct effects of insulin to regulate these genes in neurons and glial cells and can be corrected by intracerebroventricular injections of insulin. Knockdown of SREBP-2 in cultured neurons causes a decrease in markers of synapse formation and reduction of SREBP-2 in the hypothalamus of mice using shRNA results in increased feeding and weight gain. Thus, insulin and diabetes can alter brain cholesterol metabolism, and this may play an important role in the neurologic and metabolic dysfunction observed in diabetes and other disease states.
2014-10-03 | GSE62013 | GEO
Project description:Haploid Mammalian Genetic Screen Identifies UBXD8 as a Key Determinant of HMGCR Degradation and Cholesterol Biosynthesis
Project description:The key lipid metabolism transcription factor sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1a integrates gene regulatory effects of hormones, cytokines, nutrition and metabolites as lipids, glucose or cholesterol via stimuli specific phosphorylation by different MAPK cascades. We have formerly reported the systemic impact of phosphorylation in transgenic mouse models with liver-specific overexpression of the N-terminal transcriptional active domain of SREBP-1a (alb-SREBP-1a) or a MAPK kinase phosphorylation sites deficient variant (alb-SREBP-1a∆P; (S63A, S117A, T426V)), respectively. Here we investigated the molecular basis of the systemic observation in holistic hepatic gene expression analyses and lipid degrading organelles involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, i.e. peroxisomes, by 2D-DIGE and mass spectrometry analyses. Although alb-SREBP-1a mice develop a severe phenotype with visceral adipositas and hepatic lipid accumulation featuring a fatty liver, the hepatic differential gene expression and alterations in peroxisomal protein patterns compared to control mice were surprisingly relative low. In contrast, phosphorylation site deficient alb-SREBP-1a∆P mice, protected from hepatic lipid accumulation phenotype, showed gross alteration in hepatic gene expression and peroxisomal proteome. Further knowledge based analyzes revealed that overexpression of SREBP-1a favored mainly acceleration in lipid metabolism and indicated a regular insulin signaling, whereas disruption of SREBP-1a phosphorylation resulted in massive alteration of cellular processes including signs for loss of lipid metabolic targets. These results could be the link to a disturbed lipid metabolism that overall resembles a state of insulin resistance.