BACKGROUND Thiazolidinediones, a family of insulin-sensitizing drugs commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, are thought to exert their effects in part by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipose tissue through the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α (Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Coactivator-1α). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To assess the role of PGC-1α in the cont...

Alpha Hope is a dietary supplement containing pyrroloquinoline quinone and elemental magnesium, which produces molecular hydrogen (H2 gas) when dissolved in water. We determined the impact of on Nrf-2, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC-1α), citrate synthase (CS) activity C2C12 myoblasts. was titrated to three concentrations (PQQ) (10 nM, 100 1000 nM) treated for ...

During contractions, regulation of microvascular oxygen partial pressure (Pmv(O2)), which drives blood-myocyte O2 flux, is a function of skeletal muscle fiber type and oxidative capacity and can be altered by exercise training. The kinetics of Pmv(O2) during contractions in predominantly fast-twitch muscles evinces a more rapid fall to far lower levels compared with slow-twitch counterparts. Pe...

Induced pluripotent stem cells formed by the introduction of only three factors, Oct4/Sox2/Klf4 (3-gene iPSCs), may provide a safer option for stem cell-based therapy than iPSCs conventionally introduced with four-gene iPSCs. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) plays an important role during brown fat development. However, the potential roles of PGC-1α in re...

There are reports that the β-adrenergic agonist clenbuterol induces a large increase in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in skeletal muscle. This has led to the hypothesis that the increases in PGC-1α and mitochondrial biogenesis induced in muscle by endurance exercise are mediated by catecholamines. In the present study, we evaluated this possibility and fou...

Increased utrophin expression is known to reduce pathology in dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscles. Transgenic over-expression of PGC-1α has been shown to increase levels of utrophin mRNA and improve the histology of mdx muscles. Other reports have shown that PGC-1α signaling can lead to increased oxidative capacity and a fast to slow fiber type shift. Given that it has been shown that slow fi...

PGC-1α, a major metabolic regulator of gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis, is strongly induced to coactivate Hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene expression in the liver of fasting mice. We found that 8-Br-cAMP and glucocorticoids synergistically induce PGC-1α and its downstream targets, including PEPCK and G6Pase. Also, HBV core promoter activity was synergistically enhanced by 8-Br-cAMP and glucocortico...

Neurons rely heavily on mitochondria for their function and survival. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. PGC-1α is a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and function. Here we identify necdin as a potent PGC-1α stabilizer that promotes mitochondrial biogenesis via PGC-1α in mammalian neurons. Expression of...

PURPOSE To elucidate the mechanism of the induction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) by photoreceptor outer segments (POS) and its effects on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). METHODS PGC-1α upregulation by POS was confirmed in ARPE-19 cells and in RPE ex vivo. To elucidate the mechanism, siRNAs against β5 integrin, CD36, Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK), and...