scholarly journals How Epigenetic Modifications Drive the Expression and Mediate the Action of PGC-1α in the Regulation of Metabolism

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne I. Krämer ◽  
Christoph Handschin

Epigenetic changes are a hallmark of short- and long-term transcriptional regulation, and hence instrumental in the control of cellular identity and plasticity. Epigenetic mechanisms leading to changes in chromatin structure, accessibility for recruitment of transcriptional complexes, and interaction of enhancers and promoters all contribute to acute and chronic adaptations of cells, tissues and organs to internal and external perturbations. Similarly, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is activated by stimuli that alter the cellular energetic demand, and subsequently controls complex transcriptional networks responsible for cellular plasticity. It thus is of no surprise that PGC-1α is under the control of epigenetic mechanisms, and constitutes a mediator of epigenetic changes in various tissues and contexts. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the link between epigenetics and PGC-1α in health and disease.

Author(s):  
Anne I. Krämer ◽  
Christoph Handschin

Epigenetic changes are a hallmark of short- and long-term transcriptional regulation, and hence instrumental in the control of cellular identity and plasticity. Epigenetic mechanisms leading to changes in chromatin structure, accessibility for recruitment of transcriptional complexes, and interaction of enhancers and promoters all contribute to acute and chronic adaptations of cells, tissues and organs to internal and external perturbations. Similarly, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is activated by stimuli that alter the cellular energetic demand, and subsequently controls complex transcriptional networks responsible for cellular plasticity. It thus is of no surprise that PGC-1α is under the control of epigenetic mechanisms, and constitutes a mediator of epigenetic changes in various tissues and contexts. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the link between epigenetics and PGC-1α in health and disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lundstrom

Epigenetic mechanisms comprising of DNA methylation, histone modifications and gene silencing by RNA interference have been strongly linked to the development and progression of various diseases. These findings have triggered research on epigenetic functions and signal pathways as targets for novel drug discovery. Dietary intake has also presented significant influence on human health and disease development and nutritional modifications have proven important in prevention, but also the treatment of disease. Moreover, a strong link between nutrition and epigenetic changes has been established. Therefore, in attempts to develop novel safer and more efficacious drugs, both nutritional requirements and epigenetic mechanisms need to be addressed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Marwa Saadaoui ◽  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
Souhaila Al Khodor

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide, critical public health challenge and is considered one of the most communicable diseases that the world had faced so far. Response and symptoms associated with COVID-19 vary between the different cases recorded, but it is amply described that symptoms become more aggressive in subjects with a weaker immune system. This includes older subjects, patients with chronic diseases, patients with immunosuppression treatment, and pregnant women. Pregnant women are receiving more attention not only because of their altered physiological and immunological function but also for the potential risk of viral vertical transmission to the fetus or infant. However, very limited data about the impact of maternal infection during pregnancy, such as the possibility of vertical transmission in utero, during birth, or via breastfeeding, is available. Moreover, the impact of infection on the newborn in the short and long term remains poorly understood. Therefore, it is vital to collect and analyze data from pregnant women infected with COVID-19 to understand the viral pathophysiology during pregnancy and its effects on the offspring. In this article, we review the current knowledge about pre-and post-natal COVID-19 infection, and we discuss whether vertical transmission takes place in pregnant women infected with the virus and what are the current recommendations that pregnant women should follow in order to be protected from the virus.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 778
Author(s):  
Anna Stasiłowicz ◽  
Anna Tomala ◽  
Irma Podolak ◽  
Judyta Cielecka-Piontek

Cannabis sativa L. turned out to be a valuable source of chemical compounds of various structures, showing pharmacological activity. The most important groups of compounds include phytocannabinoids and terpenes. The pharmacological activity of Cannabis (in epilepsy, sclerosis multiplex (SM), vomiting and nausea, pain, appetite loss, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, schizophrenia, glaucoma, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)), which has been proven so far, results from the affinity of these compounds predominantly for the receptors of the endocannabinoid system (the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), type two (CB2), and the G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55)) but, also, for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), glycine receptors, serotonin receptors (5-HT), transient receptor potential channels (TRP), and GPR, opioid receptors. The synergism of action of phytochemicals present in Cannabis sp. raw material is also expressed in their increased bioavailability and penetration through the blood–brain barrier. This review provides an overview of phytochemistry and pharmacology of compounds present in Cannabis extracts in the context of the current knowledge about their synergistic actions and the implications of clinical use in the treatment of selected diseases.


2003 ◽  
Vol 375 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise MADSEN ◽  
Rasmus K. PETERSEN ◽  
Morten B. SØRENSEN ◽  
Claus JØRGENSEN ◽  
Philip HALLENBORG ◽  
...  

Adipocytes play a central role in whole-body energy homoeostasis. Complex regulatory transcriptional networks control adipogensis, with ligand-dependent activation of PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) being a decisive factor. Yet the identity of endogenous ligands promoting adipocyte differentiation has not been established. Here we present a critical evaluation of the role of LOXs (lipoxygenases) during adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. We show that adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes is inhibited by the general LOX inhibitor NDGA (nordihydroguaiaretic acid) and the 12/15-LOX selective inhibitor baicalein. Baicalein-mediated inhibition of adipocyte differentiation was rescued by administration of rosiglitazone. Treatment with baicalein during the first 4 days of the differentiation process prevented adipocyte differentiation; supplementation with rosiglitazone during the same period was sufficient to rescue adipogenesis. Accordingly, we demonstrate that adipogenic conversion of 3T3-L1 cells requires PPARγ ligands only during the first 4 days of the differentiation process. We show that the baicalein-sensitive synthesis of endogenous PPARγ ligand(s) increases rapidly upon induction of differentiation and reaches a maximum on days 3–4 of the adipocyte differentiation programme. The conventional platelet- and leucocyte-type 12(S)-LOXs and the novel eLOX-3 (epidermis-type LOX-3) are expressed in white and brown adipose tissue, whereas only eLOX-3 is clearly expressed in 3T3-L1 cells. We suggest that endogenous PPARγ ligand(s) promoting adipocyte differentiation are generated via a baicalein-sensitive pathway involving the novel eLOX-3.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levente Szalárdy ◽  
Dénes Zádori ◽  
Péter Klivényi ◽  
József Toldi ◽  
László Vécsei

Impaired function of certain mitochondrial respiratory complexes has long been linked to the pathogenesis of chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. Furthermore, genetic alterations of mitochondrial genome or nuclear genes encoding proteins playing essential roles in maintaining proper mitochondrial function can lead to the development of severe systemic diseases associated with neurodegeneration and vacuolar myelinopathy. At present, all of these diseases lack effective disease modifying therapy. Following a brief commemoration of Professor Albert Szent-Györgyi, a Nobel Prize laureate who pioneered in the field of cellular respiration, antioxidant processes, and the roles of free radicals in health and disease, the present paper overviews the current knowledge on the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in central nervous system diseases associated with neurodegeneration including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease as well as mitochondrial encephalopathies. The review puts special focus on the involvement and the potential therapeutic relevance of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), a nuclear-encoded master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant responses in these disorders, the transcriptional activation of which may hold novel therapeutic value as a more system-based approach aiming to restore mitochondrial functions in neurodegenerative processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8876
Author(s):  
Pierre Layrolle ◽  
Pierre Payoux ◽  
Stéphane Chavanas

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a master regulator of metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation and cell cycle, and it has been extensively studied in the brain in relation to inflammation or neurodegeneration. Little is known however about its role in viral infections of the brain parenchyma, although they represent the most frequent cause of encephalitis and are a major threat for the developing brain. Specific to viral infections is the ability to subvert signaling pathways of the host cell to ensure virus replication and spreading, as deleterious as the consequences may be for the host. In this respect, the pleiotropic role of PPARγ makes it a critical target of infection. This review aims to provide an update on the role of PPARγ in viral infections of the brain. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of PPARγ in brain or neural cells infected by immunodeficiency virus 1, Zika virus, or human cytomegalovirus. They have provided a better understanding on PPARγ functions in the infected brain, and revealed that it can be a double-edged sword with respect to inflammation, viral replication, or neuronogenesis. They unraveled new roles of PPARγ in health and disease and could possibly help designing new therapeutic strategies.


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