FoxO1转录因子及其翻译后修饰的生物学意义

FoxO1转录因子属于Fox家族成员,主要参与细胞凋亡、应激、DNA损伤/修复、肿瘤发生、血管生成和糖代谢等生命过程.PI-3K和Akt信号通路可磷酸化FoxO1,使其由胞核转运至胞质,导致转录活性灭活,从而抑制FoxO1所调控的下游基因表达.FoxO1的乙酰化可削弱FoxO1结合同源DNA序列的能力,同时加强FoxO1的磷酸化,进一步降低其转录活性.正是由于FoxO1本身的翻译后修饰可调节FoxO1的功能,使得其在肿瘤发生、免疫反应、细胞周期、分化、代谢、应激和凋亡中都起着重要的作用.本文对FoxO1及其翻译后修饰的生物学意义进行综述.     

脂肪酸受体4在食欲调控中的研究进展

食欲调控与人类健康密切相关。脂肪酸受体4(free fatty acid receptor 4,FFA4)具有重要的食欲调控功能,有望成为食欲调控药物的新靶点。中枢激活FFA4能够抑制神经肽Y(neuropeptide Y,NPY)神经元,缓解下丘脑炎症,提高中枢瘦素(leptin)和胰岛素(insulin)等抑食欲因子敏感性,从而发挥抑食欲作用。大量研究表明,FFA4在外周抑制食欲。一方面,FFA4与G_(i/o)蛋白偶联能够抑制腺苷酸环化酶途径,并抑制促食欲因子胃饥饿素(ghrelin)的表达,抑制食欲;另一方面,FFA4与G_(q11)蛋白激活下游的磷脂酰肌醇途径和PI3K/Akt途径,增加抑制食欲因子胰高血糖素样肽1(glucagon-like peptide 1,GLP-1)、胆囊收缩素(cholecystokinin,CCK)的分泌,抑制食欲。就FFA4对食欲调控作一综述,为以FFA4作为靶标开发食欲调控药物提供基础资料。     

FoxO转录因子的活性调节及对哺乳动物细胞进程的调控

FoxO转录因子在哺乳动物的细胞分化、增殖和细胞存活中发挥着重要调控作用,其转录活性受PI3K通路、非PI3K依赖通路、乙酰化和泛素化作用等多种途径调控.FoxO受到上游信号分子PI3K/Akt、SGK等的激活,调节靶基因的转录,从而调节哺乳动物细胞周期的进程和凋亡事件.FoxO已成为肿瘤、癌症科学研究的热点之一.     

干扰Sirt2促进C2C12成肌细胞分化

Sirt2是组蛋白去乙酰化酶(HDAC III)家族成员之一, 对细胞周期、自噬、脂肪细胞分化、神经细胞存活等生物学过程的调节发挥重要作用. 目前,Sirt2在肌肉发育过程中的研究尚未见报道.本文通过构建Sirt2慢病毒干扰载体,侵染C2C12成肌细胞,并用细胞免疫荧光化学、real-time PCR 和Western印迹方法,检测其对成肌分化标志基因及相关信号通路因子的影响. 结果显示,干扰质粒shRNA 663处理C2C12细胞后,Sirt2 mRNA及蛋白质表达水平与对照相比显著下调(P<0.01);C2C12细胞分化第4 d,MyoD,MyoG,MyHC mRNA及蛋白质表达均显著增加(P<0.01); PI3K,AKT,FoxO1磷酸化水平明显升高. 结果表明,Sirt2可通过PI3K/AKT/FOXO1信号通路来促进成肌细胞分化,是肌生成的一个潜在调节因子.     

SOST基因的表达调控

硬化蛋白(Sclerostin, SOST)主要由骨细胞特异性表达, 是骨形成的负性调节因子。甲状旁腺激素和雌激素抑制SOST基因表达, 转录因子Osterix、Runx2和Mef2c促进SOST基因表达, 而转录因子Sirt1负调控SOST表达。此外, SOST基因表达还受DNA甲基化和microRNA等表观遗传学调控。SOST基因突变可引起骨硬缩症和Van Buchem病, 与骨质疏松症相关联。Wnt和BMP是骨代谢调节的两个重要信号途径, SOST可通过结合BMP的Ⅰ型或Ⅱ型受体和Wnt的共受体LRP5/6分别抑制BMP和Wnt信号途径来调控成骨细胞分化和骨形成。抑制SOST为骨质疏松症的治疗提供了新的途径。文章综述了SOST基因的结构、功能、表达调控、与人类疾病的关系、调节骨代谢的机制及其临床应用前景。     

Sirt1及其相关信号通路蛋白调节胰岛素敏感性的研究进展

Sirt1是哺乳动物长寿基因Sir2的同源蛋白,越来越多研究表明Sirt1在糖脂代谢和胰岛素敏感性调节中起重要作用。Sirt1具有NAD依赖的去乙酰化酶的作用,可通过一系列底物去乙酰化,参与调节胰岛素敏感性。它通过影响胰岛素敏感性密切相关的信号蛋白,包括PGC-1α、PPARγ、PTP1B、NFκB/JNK等,影响其下游信号分子的表达或活性,调节糖脂代谢,抑制脂肪组织低级炎症,进而对胰岛素敏感性起着重要的调节作用。Sirt1还通过NAD+水平与AMPK相互调节,维持细胞的能量平衡。Sirt1可能成为改善胰岛素抵抗潜在的药物作用靶点。     

Cell:瘦素和胰岛素作用于POMC神经元促进白色脂肪棕色化

<正>近日,来自澳大利亚莫纳什大学的Tony Tiganis在国际顶尖期刊cell发表了他们关于瘦素和胰岛素作用于POMC神经元促进白色脂肪棕色化的相关研究成果。文章首次证明瘦素和胰岛素能够协同作用于POMC神经元驱动白色脂肪棕色化以维持机体能量平衡。研究人员指出,瘦素是由脂肪细胞分泌的一种重要的脂肪因子,对能量平衡和体重控制具有重要作用,瘦素能够作用于POMC神经元和NPY/Ag RP神经元以抑制食欲促进能量消耗;胰岛素由β胰岛细胞分泌的一种重要因子,能够作用于肝脏、脂肪、肌肉等多种器官组织以调节血     

FoxO转录因子

FoxO家族是转录调节因子 ,也是INS IGF 1信号通路中的关键分子。FoxO基因在进化上高度保守 ,其氨基酸序列中含有 3个高度保守PKB磷酸化基序。FoxO受PI3K PKB磷酸化级联通路的调节 ,其活性与磷酸化状态直接相关。FoxO对细胞增殖、细胞凋亡等生理过程有重要调节作用 ,并可能在免疫系统发育中对免疫细胞的凋亡及亚群间的平衡起一定调节作用。     

FoxO1的功能及其与人类疾病的关系

FoxO1是FoxO亚家族中发现最早的转录因子。PI3K/PKB信号通路主要通过调控FoxO1中的苏氨酸、丝氨酸以及赖氨酸残基的磷酸化修饰而使其穿梭于细胞核内外,最终导致FoxO1转录活性的改变。这种改变在机体细胞的增殖、凋亡、分化和抵抗氧化应激等方面发挥重要作用。对转录因子FoxO1在糖尿病、肿瘤及代谢疾病中的作用机制进行综述。     

FoxO1 target Gpr17 activates AgRP neurons to regulate food intake

Hypothalamic neurons expressing Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) are critical for initiating food intake, but druggable biochemical pathways that control this response remain elusive. Thus, genetic ablation of insulin or leptin signaling in AgRP neurons is predicted to reduce satiety but fails to do so. FoxO1 is a shared mediator of both pathways, and its inhibition is required to induce satiety. Accordingly, FoxO1 ablation in AgRP neurons of mice results in reduced food intake, leanness, improved glucose homeostasis, and increased sensitivity to insulin and leptin. Expression profiling of flow-sorted FoxO1-deficient AgRP neurons identifies G-protein-coupled receptor Gpr17 as a FoxO1 target whose expression is regulated by nutritional status. Intracerebroventricular injection of Gpr17 agonists induces food intake, whereas Gpr17 antagonist cangrelor curtails it. These effects are absent in Agrp-Foxo1 knockouts, suggesting that pharmacological modulation of this pathway has therapeutic potential to treat obesity.     

IRS2 signaling in LepR-b neurons suppresses FoxO1 to control energy balance independently of leptin action

Irs2-mediated insulin/IGF1 signaling in the CNS modulates energy balance and glucose homeostasis; however, the site for Irs2 function is unknown. The hormone leptin mediates energy balance by acting on leptin receptor (LepR-b)-expressing neurons. To determine whether LepR-b neurons mediate the metabolic actions of Irs2 in the brain, we utilized Lepr(cre) together with Irs2(L/L) to ablate Irs2 expression in LepR-b neurons (Lepr(ΔIrs2)). Lepr(ΔIrs2) mice developed obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Leptin action was not altered in young Lepr(ΔIrs2) mice, although insulin-stimulated FoxO1 nuclear exclusion was reduced in Lepr(ΔIrs2) mice. Indeed, deletion of Foxo1 from LepR-b neurons in Lepr(ΔIrs2) mice normalized energy balance, glucose homeostasis, and arcuate nucleus gene expression. Thus, Irs2 signaling in LepR-b neurons plays a crucial role in metabolic sensing and regulation. While not required for leptin action, Irs2 suppresses FoxO1 signaling in LepR-b neurons to promote energy balance and metabolism.     

运动改善肥胖症瘦素抵抗及其机制研究进展

大部分肥胖患者体内出现瘦素抵抗,表现为血清瘦素水平异常升高,但机体对瘦素不敏感或无反应,使瘦素抑制食欲、增加能量消耗和降低血糖等功能不能有效发挥.减轻瘦素抵抗被认为是治疗肥胖及肥胖相关疾病的有效途径.运动减轻肥胖、改善糖脂代谢和增强胰岛素敏感性的作用与运动降低瘦素水平、改善瘦素抵抗密切相关.本文在概述瘦素实现生理功能的机制、肥胖症的中枢及外周瘦素抵抗的基础上,主要综述近年来运动减轻肥胖症瘦素抵抗机制的研究进展,包括减轻高瘦素血症、改善中枢和外周瘦素抵抗,以期为运动防治肥胖机制的研究提供新视角.     

Oxytocinergic circuit from paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei to arcuate POMC neurons in hypothalamus

Intracerebroventricular injection of oxytocin (Oxt), a neuropeptide produced in hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic nuclei (SON), melanocortin-dependently suppresses feeding. However, the underlying neuronal pathway is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether Oxt regulates propiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus. Intra-ARC injection of Oxt decreased food intake. Oxt increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ in POMC neurons isolated from ARC. ARC POMC neurons expressed Oxt receptors and were contacted by Oxt terminals. Retrograde tracer study revealed the projection of PVN and SON Oxt neurons to ARC. These results demonstrate the novel oxytocinergic signaling from PVN/SON to ARC POMC, possibly regulating feeding.     

Deficiency of PTP1B in POMC neurons leads to alterations in energy balance and homeostatic response to cold exposure

The adipose tissue-derived hormone leptin regulates energy balance through catabolic effects on central circuits, including proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. Leptin activation of POMC neurons increases thermogenesis and locomotor activity. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is an important negative regulator of leptin signaling. POMC neuron-specific deletion of PTP1B in mice results in reduced high-fat diet-induced body weight and adiposity gain due to increased energy expenditure and greater leptin sensitivity. Mice lacking the leptin gene (ob/ob mice) are hypothermic and cold intolerant, whereas leptin delivery to ob/ob mice induces thermogenesis via increased sympathetic activity to brown adipose tissue (BAT). Here, we examined whether POMC PTP1B mediates the thermoregulatory response of CNS leptin signaling by evaluating food intake, body weight, core temperature (T(C)), and spontaneous physical activity (SPA) in response to either exogenous leptin or 4-day cold exposure (4°C) in male POMC-Ptp1b-deficient mice compared with wild-type controls. POMC-Ptp1b(-/-) mice were hypersensitive to leptin-induced food intake and body weight suppression compared with wild types, yet they displayed similar leptin-induced increases in T(C). Interestingly, POMC-Ptp1b(-/-) mice had increased BAT weight and elevated plasma triiodothyronine (T(3)) levels in response to a 4-day cold challenge, as well as reduced SPA 24 h after cold exposure, relative to controls. These data show that PTP1B in POMC neurons plays a role in short-term cold-induced reduction of SPA and may influence cold-induced thermogenesis via enhanced activation of the thyroid axis.