There is increasing evidence that the retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor a (RORa) plays an important role in the regulation of metabolic pathways, particularly of fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism; however, the role of RORa in the regulation of hepatic lipogenesis has not been studied. Here, we report that RORa attenuates hepatic steatosis, probably via activation of the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and repression of the liver X receptor a (LXRa). First, RORa and its activator, cholesterol sulfate (CS), induced phosphorylation of AMPK, which was accompanied by the activation of serine-threonine kinase liver kinase B1 (LKB1). Second, the activation of RORa, either by transient transfection or CS treatment, decreased the TO901317-induced transcriptional expression of LXRa and its downstream target genes, such as the sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and fatty acid synthase. RORa interacted physically with LXRa and inhibited the LXRa response element in the promoter of LXRa, indicating that RORa interrupts the autoregulatory activation loop of LXRa. Third, infection with adenovirus encoding RORa suppressed the lipid accumulation that had been induced by a free-fatty-acid mixture in cultured cells. Furthermore, we observed that the level of expression of the RORa protein was decreased in the liver of mice that were fed a high-fat diet. Restoration of RORa via tail-vein injection of adenovirus (Ad)-RORa decreased the high-fat-diet-induced hepatic steatosis. Finally, we synthesized thiourea derivatives that activated RORa, thereby inducing activation of AMPK and repression of LXRa. These compounds decreased hepatic triglyceride levels and lipid droplets in the high-fat-diet-fed mice. Conclusion: We found that RORa induced activation of AMPK and inhibition of the lipogenic function of LXRa, which may be key phenomena that provide the beneficial effects of RORa against hepatic steatosis. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;55:1379-1388 A n increasing number of populations in the world suffer from fatty liver, which is a disease defined as hepatic fat accumulation greater than 5% of the liver wet weight. The major causes of fatty liver are obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, drugs, and metabolic disorders.1 Although this relativelyAbbreviations: ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; Ad-RORa, adenovirus-RORa; AICAR, aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide; AKT2, v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1; AMPK, adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; BODIPY, borondipyrromethene; CA-AMPK, constitutively active AMPK; ChIP, chromatin immunoprecipitation; CS, cholesterol sulfate; Cyp7b1, oxysterol 7a-hydroxylase; DBD, DNA binding domain; FA, fatty acid; FAS, fatty acid synthase; FFA, free fatty acid; HFD, high-fat diet; LBD, ligand binding domain; LKB1, serine-threonine kinase liver kinase B1; LXRa, liver X receptor a; LXRE, LXR response element; NADH, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; p, phosphorylated; RORa, retinoic acid rec...

Chronic ethanol consumption causes hepatic steatosis and inflammation, which are associated with liver hypoxia. Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) is a hypoxia response factor that determines recruitment and activation of monocytes to the site of tissue injury. The level of MCP‐1 is elevated in the serum and liver of patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD); however, the molecular details regarding the regulation of MCP‐1 expression are not yet understood completely. Here, we show the role of liver X receptor α (LXR α) in the regulation of MCP‐1 expression during the development of ethanol‐induced fatty liver injury, using an antagonist, 22‐S‐hydroxycholesterol (22‐S‐HC). First, administration of 22‐S‐HC attenuated the signs of liver injury with decreased levels of MCP‐1 and its receptor CCR2 in ethanol‐fed mice. Second, hypoxic conditions or treatment with the LXR α agonist GW3965 significantly induced the expression of MCP‐1, which was completely blocked by treatment with 22‐S‐HC or infection by shLXR α lentivirus in the primary hepatocytes. Third, over‐expression of LXR α or GW3965 treatment increased MCP‐1 promoter activity by increasing the binding of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α to the hypoxia response elements, together with LXR α. Finally, treatment with recombinant MCP‐1 increased the level of expression of LXR α and LXR α‐dependent lipid droplet accumulation in both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. These data show that LXR α and its ligand‐induced up‐regulation of MCP‐1 and MCP‐1‐induced LXR α‐dependent lipogenesis play a key role in the autocrine and paracrine activation of MCP‐1 in the pathogenesis of alcoholic fatty liver disease, and that this activation may provide a promising new target for ALD therapy.Copyright © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is strongly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the HBV viral proteins, X protein (HBx) is regarded as a major risk factor of HCC. HBx contributes to HCC development through regulating expression of many host or viral genes and interacting with other cellular proteins. In this study, proteins that interact with HBx were analyzed by immunoprecipitation and subsequent LC/MS/MS. We identified 60 HBx interacting proteins that function in a wide spectrum of biology. Among these proteins, we were interested in PARP1, Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, a crucial factor in base excision repair (BER) pathway, since HBx was known to inhibit DNA repair capacity in cancer cells. Therefore, we characterized the cross-talk between HBx and PARP-1. HBx and PARP-1 colocalized in the nucleus and they are physically associated. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the catalytic domain of PARP-1 bound to HBx. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that HBx inhibited the recruitment of DNA damage induced by paraquat treatment. HBx overexpression significantly inhibited the protein expression of the DNA damage response factors that respond to the paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Finally, HBx further enhanced the level of 8-OHdG, the marker of DNA damage, under oxidative stress. Together, these data suggest that the interaction between HBx and PARP1 inhibits DNA repair, which could result in onset of hepatocarcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2120. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2120

The Liver X Receptor (LXR) is a well-established ligand-regulated transcription factor involved in cholesterol homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. Recent studies have reported a strong antiproliferative effect of LXRs in multiple types of cancer including prostate, colon, lung, and breast cancer. However, little is known about its association with cancer metastasis. Therefore we aimed to investigate the potential of LXR ligands in the context of breast cancer cell migration, and its underlying molecular mechanism. We first performed 2D-migration assay in 4T1 breast cancer cells. Treatment of an LXR antagonist significantly reduced the rate of 4T1 cell migration. However, LXR agonists such as T0901317, GW3965 did not have much effect. Next, we investigated the molecular mechanism of cell migration. Since the degree of invasion and metastasis of breast carcinoma is well correlated with elevated expression of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1), we examined whether MTA1 expression could be regulated by LXR ligands. Interestingly, when LXR agonists were treated, increased protein expression of MTA1 and its downstream target protein HIF-1α was observed in MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and 4T1-Luc breast cancer cell lines. Transient expression of LXRα demonstrated the same results as well. Furthermore, the treat of 22(S)-HC down-regulated MTA1 and HIF-1α protein expressions. Together, our findings indicate that LXR influences migratory pattern of breast cancer cells, which may affect metastatic property of breast cancer cells via LXR-dependent regulation of MTA1 and HIF-1α expression. Citation Format: Sewon Hwang, Tae Young Na, Hyelin Na, Minho Lee, Mi-Ock Lee. 22(S)-Hydroxycholesterol, an antagonist of LXR, inhibits breast cancer cell migration. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1637.