Tribbles-1 regulates hepatic lipogenesis through posttranscriptional regulation of C/EBPα
Robert C. Bauer, … , David J. Steger, Daniel J. Rader
Robert C. Bauer, … , David J. Steger, Daniel J. Rader
Published September 8, 2015
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2015;125(10):3809-3818. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI77095.
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Research Article Metabolism

Tribbles-1 regulates hepatic lipogenesis through posttranscriptional regulation of C/EBPα

Abstract

Variants near the gene TRIB1 are significantly associated with several plasma lipid traits, circulating liver enzymes, and the development of coronary artery disease in humans; however, it is not clear how its protein product tribbles-1 regulates lipid metabolism. Here, we evaluated mice harboring a liver-specific deletion of Trib1 (Trib1_LSKO) to elucidate the role of tribbles-1 in mammalian hepatic lipid metabolism. These mice exhibited increased hepatic triglyceride (TG) content, lipogenic gene transcription, and de novo lipogenesis. Microarray analysis revealed altered transcription of genes that are downstream of the transcription factor C/EBPα, and Trib1_LSKO mice had increased hepatic C/EBPα protein. Hepatic overexpression of C/EBPα in WT mice phenocopied Trib1_LSKO livers, and hepatic knockout of Cebpa in Trib1_LSKO mice revealed that C/EBPα is required for the increased lipogenesis. Using ChIP-Seq, we found that Trib1_LSKO mice had increased DNA-bound C/EBPα near lipogenic genes and the Trib1 gene, which itself was transcriptionally upregulated by C/EBPα overexpression. Together, our results reveal that tribbles-1 regulates hepatic lipogenesis through posttranscriptional regulation of C/EBPα, which in turn transcriptionally upregulates Trib1. These data suggest an important role for C/EBPα in mediating the lipogenic effects of hepatic Trib1 deletion and provide insight into the association between TRIB1 and plasma lipids, and liver traits in humans.

Authors

Robert C. Bauer, Makoto Sasaki, Daniel M. Cohen, Jian Cui, Mikhaila A. Smith, Batuhan O. Yenilmez, David J. Steger, Daniel J. Rader

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Figure 6

C/EBPα is required for increased lipogenesis in Trib1_LSKO mice.

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C/EBPα is required for increased lipogenesis in Trib1_LSKO mice. (A) Hep...
(A) Hepatic transcript levels of Cebpa in WT mice, Trib1_LSKO mice, or Trib1/Cebpa_dLSKO mice (n = 6) 2 weeks after injection with 1.5 × 1011 gc of AAV-TBG-Cre. (B) Transcription of lipogenic genes in all 3 experimental groups. Gene expression values are relative to the Gapd housekeeping gene, with the WT group set to 1. (C) Production of fatty acids, diacylglycerol, and TG is shown in WT, Trib1_LSKO, and Trib1/Cebpa_dLSKO mice after injection with [3H]-acetate. Significance was determined in all panels by ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test (*P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001).