scholarly journals The Divergent Orphan Nuclear Receptor ODR-7 Regulates Olfactory Neuron Gene Expression via Multiple Mechanisms in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 1779-1791
Author(s):  
Marc E Colosimo ◽  
Susan Tran ◽  
Piali Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Olfactory Neurons ◽  
C Elegans

Abstract Nuclear receptors regulate numerous critical biological processes. The C. elegans genome is predicted to encode ∼270 nuclear receptors of which >250 are unique to nematodes. ODR-7 is the only member of this large divergent family whose functions have been defined genetically. ODR-7 is expressed in the AWA olfactory neurons and specifies AWA sensory identity by promoting the expression of AWA-specific signaling genes and repressing the expression of an AWC-specific olfactory receptor gene. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of action of a divergent nuclear receptor, we have identified residues and domains required for different aspects of ODR-7 function in vivo. ODR-7 utilizes an unexpected diversity of mechanisms to regulate the expression of different sets of target genes. Moreover, these mechanisms are distinct in normal and heterologous cellular contexts. The odr-7 ortholog in the closely related nematode C. briggsae can fully substitute for all ODR-7-mediated functions, indicating conservation of function across 25–120 million years of divergence.

scholarly journals Reduced Fat Mass in Mice Lacking Orphan Nuclear Receptor Estrogen-Related Receptor α

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (22) ◽  
pp. 7947-7956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangming Luo ◽  
Robert Sladek ◽  
Julie Carrier ◽  
Jo-Ann Bader ◽  
Denis Richard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Metabolic Regulation ◽  
Hormone Receptors ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Serum Biochemistry ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Steroid Synthesis ◽  
Fat Deposits ◽  
Estrogen Related Receptor

ABSTRACT The estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) is an orphan member of the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors expressed in tissues that preferentially metabolize fatty acids. Despite the molecular characterization of ERRα and identification of target genes, determination of its physiological function has been hampered by the lack of a natural ligand. To further understand the in vivo function of ERRα, we generated and analyzed Estrra-null (ERRα−/−) mutant mice. Here we show that ERRα−/− mice are viable, fertile and display no gross anatomical alterations, with the exception of reduced body weight and peripheral fat deposits. No significant changes in food consumption and energy expenditure or serum biochemistry parameters were observed in the mutant animals. However, the mutant animals are resistant to a high-fat diet-induced obesity. Importantly, DNA microarray analysis of gene expression in adipose tissue demonstrates altered regulation of several enzymes involved in lipid, eicosanoid, and steroid synthesis, suggesting that the loss of ERRα might interfere with other nuclear receptor signaling pathways. In addition, the microarray study shows alteration in the expression of genes regulating adipogenesis as well as energy metabolism. In agreement with these findings, metabolic studies showed reduced lipogenesis in adipose tissues. This study suggests that ERRα functions as a metabolic regulator and that the ERRα−/− mice provide a novel model for the investigation of metabolic regulation by nuclear receptors.

scholarly journals Bile acids inhibit duodenal secretin expression via orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP)

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. G90-G97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian P. Y. Lam ◽  
Leo T. O. Lee ◽  
Hueng-Sik Choi ◽  
Gianfranco Alpini ◽  
Billy K. C. Chow
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Bile Acids ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Small Heterodimer Partner

Small heterodimer partner (SHP) is an orphan nuclear receptor in which gene expression can be upregulated by bile acids. It regulates its target genes by repressing the transcriptional activities of other nuclear receptors including NeuroD, which has been shown to regulate secretin gene expression. Here, we evaluated the regulation on duodenal secretin gene expression by SHP and selected bile acids, cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). In vitro treatment of CDCA or fexaramine elevated the SHP transcript level and occupancy on secretin promoter. The increase in the SHP level, induced by bile acid treatment or overexpression, reduced secretin gene expression, whereas this gene inhibitory effect was reversed by silencing of endogenous SHP. In in vivo studies, double-immunofluorescence staining demonstrated the coexpression of secretin and SHP in mouse duodenum. Feeding mice with 1% CA-enriched rodent chow resulted in upregulation of SHP and a concomitant decrease in secretin transcript and protein levels in duodenum compared with the control group fed with normal chow. A diet enriched with 5% cholestyramine led to a decrease in SHP level and a corresponding increase in secretin expression. Overall, this study showed that bile acids via SHP inhibit duodenal secretin gene expression. Because secretin is a key hormone that stimulates bile flow in cholangiocytes, this pathway thus provides a novel means to modulate secretin-stimulated choleresis in response to intraduodenal bile acids.

scholarly journals Two differentially active alternative promoters control the expression of the zebrafish orphan nuclear receptor gene Rev-erbα

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 555-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Kakizawa ◽  
Shin-ichi Nishio ◽  
Gerard Triqueneaux ◽  
Stephanie Bertrand ◽  
Juliette Rambaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Upstream Region ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Alternative Promoters ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Morpholino Knockdown

The orphan nuclear receptor Rev-erbα (NR1D1) plays an important role in the regulation of the circadian pacemaker and its expression has been shown to be regulated with a robust circadian rhythm in zebrafish and mammals. In addition, in zebrafish its expression has been shown to be developmentally regulated. In order to analyze the mechanisms of the zfRev-erbα gene regulation, we have isolated its 5′-upstream region. We found that two promoters control the zfRev-erbα expression. The first one (ZfP1) is characterized by a very high degree of sequence identity with the mammalian P1 promoter and contains, as the mammalian P1, a functional Rev-erbα-binding site (RevDR2). Inhibition of zfRev-erbα activity in zebrafish embryos using antisense-morpholino knockdown results in an increase of zfRev-erbα gene expression suggesting that zfRev-erbα is repressing its own transcription in vivo. In addition, we show that ROR orphan receptors also regulate in vitro and in vivo zfRev-erbα gene expression through the same RevDR2 element. In contrast, the second promoter ZfP2 is strikingly different from the mammalian P2: its sequence is not conserved between zebrafish and mammals and is not regulated by the same transcription factors. Together, these data suggest that ZfP1 is orthologous to the mammalian P1 promoter, whereas zebrafish ZfP2 has no mammalian ortholog and does not function like ZfP1 to control Rev-erbα expression.

scholarly journals The Tailless Nuclear Receptor Acts as a Dedicated Repressor in the Early Drosophila Embryo

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 3446-3454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Érica Morán ◽  
Gerardo Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Activation Function ◽  
Drosophila Embryo ◽  
Intact Protein ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Early Drosophila Embryo

ABSTRACT Tailless is an orphan nuclear receptor that controls terminal body patterning in Drosophila. Genetic analyses have revealed both positive and negative regulatory interactions of Tailless with various target genes, leading to the idea that, like many other nuclear receptors, Tailless mediates both activation and repression of transcription. In this paper, we have examined the consequences of converting Tailless into an obligate repressor and compared the activities of the resulting protein with those of wild-type Tailless. We find that this repressor form of Tailless behaves like the intact protein in gain- and loss-of-function experiments, being sufficient to support normal embryonic development and establish accurate patterns of gene expression even for positive Tailless targets such as hunchback and brachyenteron. This suggests that Tailless functions exclusively as a transcriptional repressor in the embryo and that the observed positive interactions of Tailless with specific targets are secondary effects involving repression of repressors. We provide evidence that knirps is one such repressor gene acting between Tailless and its indirect positive targets. Finally, our results indicate that Tailless exerts an active mechanism of repression via its ligand-binding domain and that this activity is largely independent of the activation function 2 (AF2) motif characteristic of most nuclear receptors.

scholarly journals Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo Model to Assess Amphetamine Tolerance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Dayana Torres Valladares ◽  
Sirisha Kudumala ◽  
Murad Hossain ◽  
Lucia Carvelli
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Drugs Of Abuse ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
In Vitro Data

Amphetamine is a potent psychostimulant also used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. In vivo and in vitro data have demonstrated that amphetamine increases the amount of extra synaptic dopamine by both inhibiting reuptake and promoting efflux of dopamine through the dopamine transporter. Previous studies have shown that chronic use of amphetamine causes tolerance to the drug. Thus, since the molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to amphetamine are still unknown, an animal model to identify the neurochemical mechanisms associated with drug tolerance is greatly needed. Here we took advantage of a unique behavior caused by amphetamine in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> to investigate whether this simple, but powerful, genetic model develops tolerance following repeated exposure to amphetamine. We found that at least 3 treatments with 0.5 mM amphetamine were necessary to see a reduction in the amphetamine-induced behavior and, thus, to promote tolerance. Moreover, we found that, after intervals of 60/90 minutes between treatments, animals were more likely to exhibit tolerance than animals that underwent 10-minute intervals between treatments. Taken together, our results show that <i>C. elegans</i> is a suitable system to study tolerance to drugs of abuse such as amphetamines.

scholarly journals The orphan nuclear receptor EAR-2 (NR2F6) inhibits hematopoietic cell differentiation and induces myeloid dysplasia in vivo

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine V. Ichim ◽  
Dzana D. Dervovic ◽  
Lap Shu Alan Chan ◽  
Claire J. Robertson ◽  
Alden Chesney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Hematopoietic Cell ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor

Abstract 76: MicroRNA-144 Regulates Hepatic ABCA1 and Plasma HDL Following Activation of the Nuclear Receptor FXR

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vallim ◽  
Elizabeth Tarling ◽  
Tammy Kim ◽  
Mete Civelek ◽  
Angel Baldan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Lipoprotein Metabolism ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Farnesoid X Receptor ◽  
Abca1 Protein

Rationale The bile acid receptor Farnesoid-X-Receptor (FXR) regulates many aspects of lipid metabolism by various complex and not fully understood molecular mechanisms. We set out to investigate the molecular mechanisms for FXR-dependent regulation of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Objective To identify FXR-regulated microRNAs that were subsequently involved in regulating lipid metabolism. Methods and Results ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) is a major determinant of plasma High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Here we show that activation of the nuclear receptor FXR in vivo increases hepatic levels of miR-144, which in turn lower hepatic ABCA1 and plasma HDL levels. We identified two complementary sequences to miR-144 in the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of ABCA1 mRNA that are necessary for miR-144-dependent regulation. Overexpression of miR-144 in vitro decreased both cellular ABCA1 protein and cholesterol efflux to lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) protein, whilst overexpression in vivo reduced hepatic ABCA1 protein and plasma HDL- cholesterol. Conversely, silencing miR-144 in mice increased hepatic ABCA1 protein and HDL- cholesterol. In addition, we utilized tissue-specific FXR deficient mice to show that induction of miR-144 and FXR-dependent hypolipidemia requires hepatic, but not intestinal FXR. Finally, we identified functional FXR response elements (FXREs) upstream of the miR-144 locus, consistent with direct FXR regulation. Conclusion In conclusion, we have identified a pathway involving FXR, miR-144 and ABCA1 that together regulate plasma HDL cholesterol. This pathway may be therapeutically targeted in the future in order to increase HDL levels.

The expression, lamin-dependent localization and RNAi depletion phenotype for emerin inC. elegans

2002 ◽  
Vol 115 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosef Gruenbaum ◽  
Kenneth K. Lee ◽  
Jun Liu ◽  
Merav Cohen ◽  
Katherine L. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Rnai Phenotype ◽  
Lamin B ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Nuclear Lamins ◽  
First Time

Emerin belongs to the LEM-domain family of nuclear membrane proteins, which are conserved in metazoans from C. elegans to humans. Loss of emerin in humans causes the X-linked form of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy(EDMD), but the disease mechanism is not understood. We have begun to address the function of emerin in C. elegans, a genetically tractable nematode. The emerin gene (emr-1) is conserved in C. elegans. We detect Ce-emerin protein in the nuclear envelopes of all cell types except sperm, and find that Ce-emerin co-immunoprecipitates with Ce-lamin from embryo lysates. We show for the first time in any organism that nuclear lamins are essential for the nuclear envelope localization of emerin during early development. We further show that four other types of nuclear envelope proteins, including fellow LEM-domain protein Ce-MAN1, as well as Ce-lamin, UNC-84 and nucleoporins do not depend on Ce-emerin for their localization. This result suggests that emerin is not essential to organize or localize the only lamin (B-type) expressed in C. elegans. We also analyzed the RNAi phenotype resulting from the loss of emerin function in C. elegans under laboratory growth conditions, and found no detectable phenotype throughout development. We propose that C. elegans is an appropriate system in which to study the molecular mechanisms of emerin function in vivo.

scholarly journals Small-molecule inhibitor targeting orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFII for prostate cancer treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (18) ◽  
pp. eaaz8031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leiming Wang ◽  
Chiang-Min Cheng ◽  
Jun Qin ◽  
Mafei Xu ◽  
Chung-Yang Kao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Prostate Cancer Treatment ◽  
Molecule Inhibitor ◽  
Transcription Regulators ◽  
Xenograft Models

The orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFII is expressed at a low level in adult tissues, but its expression is increased and shown to promote progression of multiple diseases, including prostate cancer, heart failure, and muscular dystrophy. Suppression of COUP-TFII slows disease progression, making it an intriguing therapeutic target. Here, we identified a potent and specific COUP-TFII inhibitor through high-throughput screening. The inhibitor specifically suppressed COUP-TFII activity to regulate its target genes. Mechanistically, the inhibitor directly bound to the COUP-TFII ligand-binding domain and disrupted COUP-TFII interaction with transcription regulators, including FOXA1, thus repressing COUP-TFII activity on target gene regulation. Through blocking COUP-TFII’s oncogenic activity in prostate cancer, the inhibitor efficiently exerted a potent antitumor effect in xenograft mouse models and patient-derived xenograft models. Our study identified a potent and specific COUP-TFII inhibitor that may be useful for the treatment of prostate cancer and possibly other diseases.

scholarly journals Transcriptional repression of the gluconeogenic gene PEPCK by the orphan nuclear receptor SHP through inhibitory interaction with C/EBPα

2007 ◽  
Vol 402 (3) ◽  
pp. 567-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Jung Park ◽  
Hee Jeong Kong ◽  
Hye Young Kim ◽  
Hyeong Hoe Kim ◽  
Joon Hong Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Orphan Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Hepatic Gluconeogenesis ◽  
Inhibitory Interaction

SHP (short heterodimer partner) is an orphan nuclear receptor that plays an important role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. A variety of transcription factors are known to regulate transcription of the PEPCK (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) gene, which encodes a rate-determining enzyme in hepatic gluconeogenesis. Previous reports identified glucocorticoid receptor and Foxo1 as novel downstream targets regulating SHP inhibition [Borgius, Steffensen, Gustafsson and Treuter (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 49761–49796; Yamagata, Daitoku, Shimamoto, Matsuzaki, Hirota, Ishida and Fukamizu (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 23158–23165]. In the present paper, we show a new molecular mechanism of SHP-mediated inhibition of PEPCK transcription. We also show that the CRE1 (cAMP regulatory element 1; −99 to −76 bp relative to the transcription start site) of the PEPCK promoter is also required for the inhibitory regulation by SHP. SHP repressed C/EBPα (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α)-driven transcription of PEPCK through direct interaction with C/EBPα protein both in vitro and in vivo. The formation of an active transcriptional complex of C/EBPα and its binding to DNA was inhibited by SHP, resulting in the inhibition of PEPCK gene transcription. Taken together, these results suggest that SHP might regulate a level of hepatic gluconeogenesis driven by C/EBPα activation.

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