PGC-1α regulates critical processes in muscle physiology, including mitochondrial biogenesis, lipid metabolism and angiogenesis. Furthermore, PGC-1α was suggested as an important regulator of fiber type determination. However, whether a muscle fiber type-specific PGC-1α content exists, whether PGC-1α content relates to basal levels of mitochondrial content, and whether such relationships are pr...

The transcriptional coactivator PPAR coactivator-1 (PGC-1 ) has been characterized as a broad regulator of cellular energy metabolism. Although PGC-1 functions through many transcription factors, the PGC-1 partners identified to date are unlikely to account for all of its biologic actions. The orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor (ERR ) was identified in a yeast two-hybrid screen o...

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has the unique property of inducing regression of pre-established murine atherosclerosis. Understanding the mechanism(s) involved may help identify endogenous pathways that reverse human atherosclerosis. Here, we provide evidence that CLA inhibits foam cell formation via regulation of the nuclear receptor coactivator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PP...

Vasa is essential for germline development. However, the precise processes in which vasa involves vary considerably in diverse animal phyla. Here we show that vasa is required for primordial germ cell (PGC) migration in the medakafish. vasa knockdown by two morpholinos led to the PGC migration defect that was rescued by coinjection of vasa RNA. Interestingly, vasa knockdown did not alter the PG...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is a coactivator of various nuclear receptors and other transcription factors, which is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism, thermogenesis, and other biological processes that control phenotypic characteristics of various organ systems including skeletal muscle. PGC-1α in skeletal muscle is considered to be ...

We have studied the functional effects of nonsense mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in the COXI and ND5 genes in a colorectal tumor cell line. Surprisingly, these cells had an efficient oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS); however, when mitochondria from these cells were transferred to an osteosarcoma nuclear background (osteosarcoma cybrids), the rate of respiration markedly declined suggest...

Guanylyl cyclases (GCs) regulate many physiological processes by catalyzing the synthesis of the second messenger cGMP. The GC family consists of seven particulate GCs (pGCs) and a nitric oxide-activated soluble GC (sGC). Rat sGC α1β1 possesses much broader substrate specificity than previously assumed. Moreover, the exotoxins CyaA from Bordetella pertussis and edema factor (EF) from Bacillus a...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Recent studies have implicated a role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator protein-1α (PGC-1α) in PD and in animal or cellular models of PD. The role of PGC-1α in the function and survival of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) dopamine neurons is not clear. Here we find that there are four d...

The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common phenomenon in podocyte impairment, which leads to the irreversible progression of chronic kidney diseases, such as diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Previous research has indicated that peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivator‑1α (PGC‑1α) participates in mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism in certain mit...