The mechanisms by which PGC-1alpha gene expression is controlled in skeletal muscle remains largely undefined. Thus, we sought to investigate the transcriptional regulation of PGC-1alpha using AICAR, an activator of AMPK, that is known to increase PGC-1alpha expression. A 2.2 kb fragment of the human PGC-1alpha promoter was cloned and sequence analysis revealed that this TATA-less sequence hous...

OBJECTIVE Food intake and whole-body energy homeostasis are controlled by agouti-related protein (AgRP) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Key energy sensors, such as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), are essential in AgRP and POMC cells to ensure proper energy balance. In peripheral tissues, the transcriptiona...

Diabetes risk increases significantly with age and correlates with lower oxidative capacity in muscle. Decreased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (Pgc-1α) and target gene pathways involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are associated with muscle insulin resistance, but a causative role has not been established. We sought to determine whether...

Activation of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle increases glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial biogenesis by increasing gene expression in these pathways. However, the transcriptional components that are directly targeted by AMPK are still elusive. The peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) has emerged as a master regulat...

Underexpression of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α is causally linked to certain neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's Disease (HD). HD pathoprogression is also associated with aberrant NMDAR activity, in particular an imbalance between synaptic versus extrasynaptic (NMDAR(EX)) activity. Here we show that PGC-1α controls NMDAR(EX) activity in neurons and that its suppressio...

The transcriptional coactivator PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a critical regulator of mitochondrial content and function in skeletal muscle. PGC-1α may also mediate mitochondrial adaptations in response to chronic contractile activity (CCA). To characterize the essential role of PGC-1α in organelle biogenesis, C₂C₁₂ murine myotubes were transfected with PGC-1α-specific siRNA and subjected to...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a transcriptional coactivator of nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ that critically regulates glucose and fat metabolism. Although clinical evidence suggests that Gly482Ser polymorphism of PGC-1α is associated with an increased incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a direct role for Gly48...

Perennial groundcover (PGC) merges scalable soil and water conservation with high-yielding row crops, enhancing ecosystem services of annual grain crop production. However, ineffective suppression increases competition between the crop, reducing yield. The objective this study was to assess effectiveness three Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) methods each at narrow wide widths on maize (Zea mays L.) gr...