The bacterial Sm-like protein Hfq facilitates RNA-RNA interactions involved in posttranscriptional regulation of the stress response. Specifically, Hfq helps pair noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with complementary regions of target mRNAs. To probe the mechanism of this pairing, we generated a series of Hfq mutants and measured their affinity for RNAs like those with which Hfq must associate in vivo. We tested the mutants' DsrA-dependent activation of rpoS, and their ability to stabilize DsrA ncRNA against degradation in vivo. Our results suggest that Hfq has two independent RNA-binding surfaces. In addition to a well-known site around the core of the Hfq hexamer, we observe interactions with the distal face of Hfq, a new locus with which mRNAs and poly(A) sequences associate. Our model explains how Hfq can simultaneously bind a ncRNA and its mRNA target to facilitate the strand displacement reaction required for Hfq-dependent translational regulation.Hfq protein from Escherichia coli was first described in connection with Qβ-phage replication 1,2 . Hfq has recently emerged as a central player in post-transcriptional gene regulation as mediated by bacterial ncRNAs [3][4][5][6] . Escherichia coli Hfq mutants show disrupted signaling in stress response pathways 7,8 , arising from the need for Hfq to mediate base-pairing between regulatory ncRNAs and their mRNA targets. Examples of these partnerships include DsrA-rpoS 7,9,10 , OxyS-fhlA 11,12 , OxyS-rpoS 13 , RprA-rpoS 14 , RyhBsodB [15][16][17] .Complexes between ncRNAs and their mRNA targets function in several ways. Most commonly, complexed structures lead to translational activation or repression by remodeling mRNA regulatory regions containing the ribosome-binding site (RBS) and/or start codon. Alternatively, the interaction can enhance decay of the target mRNA16 or simply block translation11. Clearly, Hfq facilitates base-pairing between ncRNAs and their targets, but how it does so is poorly understood. How the chaperone function relates to other Hfq activities such as the control of poly(A) tail elongation19 , 20 and regulation of mRNA stability21 , 22 is also unknown. COMPETING INTERESTS STATEMENTThe authors declare that they have no competing financial interests. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptNat Struct Mol Biol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 April 5. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptHfq shares sequence similarity to the eukaryotic Lsm proteins [23][24][25][26][27] We addressed these questions through a mutational analysis of Hfq, probing in vitro binding to several model RNAs that represent species with which Hfq must interact. Hfq mutants were assayed in vivo using a reporter assay and RNA lifetime experiments. Together, the results support a model wherein at least two independent RNA-binding sites exist on the Hfq hexamer, and juxtaposition of bound RNAs facilitates base-pairing. RESULTS Hfq mutagenesisTo identify amino acids essential for RNA binding, we constructed a series of E. coli Hfq misse...

The failure of pancreatic β cells to adapt to an increasing demand for insulin is the major mechanism by which patients progress from insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and is thought to be related to dysfunctional lipid homeostasis within those cells. In multiple animal models of diabetes, females demonstrate relative protection from β cell failure. We previously found that the hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) in part mediates this benefit. Here, we show that treating male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats with E2 suppressed synthesis and accumulation of fatty acids and glycerolipids in islets and protected against β cell failure. The antilipogenic actions of E2 were recapitulated by pharmacological activation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) or ERβ in a rat β cell line and in cultured ZDF rat, mouse, and human islets. Pancreas-specific null deletion of ERα in mice (PERα -/-) prevented reduction of lipid synthesis by E2 via a direct action in islets, and PERα -/-mice were predisposed to islet lipid accumulation and β cell dysfunction in response to feeding with a high-fat diet. ER activation inhibited β cell lipid synthesis by suppressing the expression (and activity) of fatty acid synthase via a nonclassical pathway dependent on activated Stat3. Accordingly, pancreas-specific deletion of Stat3 in mice curtailed ER-mediated suppression of lipid synthesis. These data suggest that extranuclear ERs may be promising therapeutic targets to prevent β cell failure in T2D.

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) regulates insulin sensitivity by promoting hepatic insulin clearance. Liver-specific inactivation or global null-mutation of Ceacam1 impairs hepatic insulin extraction to cause chronic hyperinsulinemia, resulting in insulin resistance and visceral obesity. In this study we investigated whether diet-induced insulin resistance implicates changes in hepatic CEACAM1. We report that feeding C57/BL6J mice a high-fat diet reduced hepatic CEACAM1 levels by >50% beginning at 21 days, causing hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and elevation in hepatic triacylglycerol content. Conversely, liver-specific inducible CEACAM1 expression prevented hyperinsulinemia and markedly limited insulin resistance and hepatic lipid accumulation that were induced by prolonged high-fat intake. This was partly mediated by increased hepatic β-fatty acid oxidation and energy expenditure. The data demonstrate that the high-fat diet reduced hepatic CEACAM1 expression and that overexpressing CEACAM1 in liver curtailed diet-induced metabolic abnormalities by protecting hepatic insulin clearance.

Background:The glucocorticoid (GR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated (PPAR␥) receptors are antagonists of lipid metabolism. Results: Protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) dephosphorylates GR and PPAR␥ to reciprocally control their activities. Conclusion: PP5 is a switch point in nuclear receptor control of lipid metabolism. Significance: PP5 is a potential new drug target in the treatment of obesity.

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) promotes hepatic insulin clearance and endothelial survival. However, its role in the morphology of macrovessels remains unknown. Mice lacking Ceacam1 (Cc1-/-) exhibit hyperinsulinemia, which causes insulin resistance and fatty liver. With increasing evidence of an association among hyperinsulinemia, fatty liver disease, and atherosclerosis, we investigated whether Cc1-/- exhibited vascular lesions in atherogenic-prone aortae. Histological analysis revealed impaired endothelial integrity with restricted fat deposition and aortic plaque-like lesions in Cc1-/- aortae, likely owing to their limited lipidemia. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated macrophage deposition, and in vitro studies showed increased leukocyte adhesion to aortic wall, mediated in part by elevation in vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 levels. Basal aortic eNOS protein and NO content were reduced, in parallel with reduced Akt/eNOS and Akt/Foxo1 phosphorylation. Ligand-induced vasorelaxation was compromised in aortic rings. Increased NADPH oxidase activity and plasma 8-isoprostane levels revealed oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in Cc1-/- aortae. siRNA-mediated CEACAM1 knockdown in bovine aortic endothelial cells adversely affected insulin's stimulation of IRS-1/PI 3-kinase/Akt/eNOS activation by increasing IRS-1 binding to SHP2 phosphatase. This demonstrates that CEACAM1 regulates both endothelial cell autonomous and nonautonomous mechanisms involved in vascular morphology and NO production in aortae. Systemic factors such as hyperinsulinemia could contribute to the pathogenesis of these vascular abnormalities. Cc1-/- mice provide a first in vivo demonstration of distinct CEACAM1-dependent hepatic insulin clearance linking hepatic to macrovascular abnormalities.