Expression of the rat liver neutral cytosolic cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH) gene is regulated by glucocorticoids, thyroxine, and agents that perturb cholesterol metabolism. The present studies identify the putative hormone response elements in the CEH promoter. They also define the roles of two previously identified sterol regulatory elements (SRE-92 and SRE-160) and a putative nuclear fact...

We have examined gene expression in the fat tissue of normal mice at the onset of diet-induced obesity. Insulin-induced gene 1 (insig-1) mRNA rose progressively with a high-fat diet and declined on a restricted diet. Because insig-1 binds sterol regulatory element-binding protein cleavage-activating protein in the endoplasmic reticulum, thereby blocking proteolytic processing required for stero...

In mammalian cells, the supply of lipids is co-ordinated with demand through the transcriptional control of genes encoding proteins required for synthesis or uptake. The sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are responsible for increased transcription of these genes when lipid level fall. Mammals have three SREBPs (-1a, -1c and -2), which are the products of two distinct genes. Sy...

Background The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central regulator of cell growth and proliferation, and its aberrant activation is frequent in cancer [1]. We have previously shown that sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) is a major transcriptional effector of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling [2]. SREBP is a transcription factor that stimulates the expression of genes i...

Expression of sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) in Aedes aegypti shows a distinct temporal/spatial pattern throughout the life cycle. In order to identify the transcription factors responsible for the larval temporal/spatial regulation of AeSCP-2 transcription, AeSCP-2 promoter activities were studied in vivo via transient transfection of promoter/reporter gene assays. Regulatory sequences upstr...

The ergosterol biosynthetic pathway is a specific branch of the mevalonate pathway. Since the cells requirement for sterols is greater than for isoprenoids, sterol biosynthesis must be regulated independently of isoprenoid biosynthesis. In this study we explored the transcriptional regulation of squalene synthase (ERG9) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the first enzyme dedicated to the synthesis of...

PURPOSE Phenotypic transformation of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells contributes to the onset and progression of ocular proliferative disorders such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The formation of epiretinal membranes in PVR may involve an epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of RPE cells as part of an aberrant wound healing response. While the underlying mechanism rema...

Understanding the mechanism by which alpha-lipoic acid supplementation has a protective effect upon nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in vivo and in vitro may lead to targets for preventing hepatic steatosis. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet, high-fat diet or high-fat diet supplemented with alpha-lipoic acid for 24 weeks. HepG2 cells were incubated with normal medium, palmitate or alpha...

Transcription of the LDL receptor gene is markedly enhanced in the Jurkat T cell line by stimulation with the combination of the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX). The DNA sequences necessary for this response were identified by analysis of Jurkat T cells permanently transfected with reporter gene expression vectors conta...