Altered lipid metabolism underlies several major human diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, lipid metabolism pathophysiology remains poorly understood at the molecular level. Insulin is the primary stimulator of hepatic lipogenesis through activation of the SREBP-1c transcription factor. Here we identified cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) and its regulatory partner cyclin C (CycC) as negative regulators of the lipogenic pathway in Drosophila, mammalian hepatocytes, and mouse liver. The inhibitory effect of CDK8 and CycC on de novo lipogenesis was mediated through CDK8 phosphorylation of nuclear SREBP-1c at a conserved threonine residue. Phosphorylation by CDK8 enhanced SREBP-1c ubiquitination and protein degradation. Importantly, consistent with the physiologic regulation of lipid biosynthesis, CDK8 and CycC proteins were rapidly downregulated by feeding and insulin, resulting in decreased SREBP-1c phosphorylation. Moreover, overexpression of CycC efficiently suppressed insulin and feeding-induced lipogenic gene expression. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CDK8 and CycC function as evolutionarily conserved components of the insulin signaling pathway in regulating lipid homeostasis.
Two-photon microscopy has advanced fluorescence imaging of cellular processes in living animals. Fluorescent proteins in the blue-green wavelength range are widely used in two-photon microscopy; however, the use of red fluorescent proteins is limited by the low power output of Ti-Sapphire lasers above 1,000 nm. To overcome this limitation we have developed two red fluorescent proteins, LSS-mKate1 and LSS-mKate2, which possess large Stokes shifts with excitation/emission maxima at 463∕624 and 460∕605 nm, respectively. These LSS-mKates are characterized by high pH stability, photostability, rapid chromophore maturation, and monomeric behavior. They lack absorbance in the green region, providing an additional red color to the commonly used red fluorescent proteins. Substantial overlap between the two-photon excitation spectra of the LSS-mKates and blue-green fluorophores enables multicolor imaging using a single laser. We applied this approach to a mouse xenograft model of breast cancer to intravitally study the motility and Golgi-nucleus alignment of tumor cells as a function of their distance from blood vessels. Our data indicate that within 40 μm the breast cancer cells show significant polarization towards vessels in living mice.cell polarity | intravital imaging | Keima | two-photon microscopy | mKate
The electrophoretic mobilities of 24 single-stranded DNA oligomers, each containing 26 nucleotide residues, have been measured in polyacrylamide gels and in free solution. The mobilities observed at 20 degrees C differed by approximately 20% in polyacrylamide gels and by approximately 10% in free solution, even though the oligomers contained the same number of bases. Increasing the temperature or adding urea to the solution equalized the mobilities of the oligomers, suggesting that the variable mobilities observed at 20 degrees C are due to the formation of stable secondary structures, most likely hairpins. Thermal melting profiles were measured for eight oligomers in 40 mM Tris acetate buffer. The observed melting temperatures of most oligomers correlated roughly with the mobilities observed at 20 degrees C; however, one oligomer was much more stable than the others. The melting temperatures of four of the oligomers were close to the values predicted by DINAMelt [Markham, N. R., and Zuker, M. (2005) Nucleic Acids Res. 33, W577-W581]; melting temperatures of the other oligomers differed significantly from the predicted values. Thermal melting profiles were also measured for two oligomers as a function of the Tris acetate buffer concentration. The salt concentration dependence of the melting temperatures suggests that 0.15 Tris+ ion per phosphate is released upon denaturation. Because the apparent number of Tris+ ions released is greater than that observed by others for the release of Na+ ions from similar hairpins, the results suggest that DNA hairpins (and, presumably, duplexes) bind more Tris+ ions than Na+ ions in solution.
Background: SREBP-1 plays a critical role in maintaining lipid homeostasis by activating lipogenic gene transcription. Results: LSD1 is required for SREBP1-mediated gene expression through multiple mechanisms in mammalian cells. Conclusion: LSD1 is a novel regulator of lipid metabolism. Significance: LSD1 is a potential target for treating diseases with aberrant lipid homeostasis.
Dysregulation of lipid homeostasis is intimately associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Sterol regulatory-element binding proteins (SREBPs) are the master regulators of lipid biosynthesis. Previous studies have shown that the conserved transcriptional cofactor Mediator complex is critically required for the SREBP transcriptional activity, and recruitment of the Mediator complex to the SREBP transactivation domains (TADs) is through the MED15-KIX domain. Recently, we have synthesized several boron-containing small molecules. Among these novel compounds, BF175 can specifically block the binding of MED15-KIX to SREBP1a-TAD in vitro, resulting in an inhibition of the SREBP transcriptional activity and a decrease of SREBP target gene expression in cultured hepatocytes. Furthermore, BF175 can improve lipid homeostasis in the mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Compared with the control, BF175 treatment decreased the expression of SREBP target genes in mouse livers and decreased hepatic and blood levels of lipids. These results suggest that blocking the interaction between SREBP-TADs and the Mediator complex by small molecules may represent a novel approach for treating diseases with aberrant lipid homeostasis.
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