👤 Renaud Dentin

Impaired glucose metabolism is observed in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Glucose controls gene expression through the transcription factor ChREBP in liver and adipose tissues. Mlxipl encodes 2 isoforms: ChREBPα, the full-length form (translocation into the nucleus is under the control of glucose), and ChREBPβ, a constitutively nuclear shorter form. ChREBPβ gene expression in white adipose tissue is strongly associated with insulin sensitivity. Here, we investigated the consequences of ChREBPβ deficiency on insulin action and energy balance. ChREBPβ-deficient male and female C57BL6/J and FVB/N mice were produced using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Unlike global ChREBP deficiency, lack of ChREBPβ showed modest effects on gene expression in adipose tissues and the liver, with variations chiefly observed in brown adipose tissue. In mice fed chow and 2 types of high-fat diets, lack of ChREBPβ had moderate effects on body composition and insulin sensitivity. At thermoneutrality, ChREBPβ deficiency did not prevent the whitening of brown adipose tissue previously reported in total ChREBP-KO mice. These findings revealed that ChREBPβ is dispensable for metabolic adaptations to nutritional and thermic challenges. Show less

Glucose production in the blood requires the expression of glucose-6 phosphatase (G6Pase), a key enzyme that allows glucose-6 phosphate (G6P) hydrolysis into free glucose and inorganic phosphate. We previously reported that the hepatic suppression of G6Pase leads to G6P accumulation and to metabolic reprogramming in hepatocytes from liver G6Pase-deficient mice (L.G6pc We generated liver-specific ChREBP (L.Chrebp We observed that there was a dramatic decrease in lipid accumulation in the liver of L.G6pc Our study reveals the crucial role of the ChREBP-G6Pase duo in the regulation of G6P-regulated pathways in the liver. Show less

Aberrant histone methylation profile is reported to correlate with the development and progression of NAFLD during obesity. However, the identification of specific epigenetic modifiers involved in this process remains poorly understood. Here, we identify the histone demethylase Plant Homeodomain Finger 2 (Phf2) as a new transcriptional co-activator of the transcription factor Carbohydrate Responsive Element Binding Protein (ChREBP). By specifically erasing H3K9me2 methyl-marks on the promoter of ChREBP-regulated genes, Phf2 facilitates incorporation of metabolic precursors into mono-unsaturated fatty acids, leading to hepatosteatosis development in the absence of inflammation and insulin resistance. Moreover, the Phf2-mediated activation of the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) further reroutes glucose fluxes toward the pentose phosphate pathway and glutathione biosynthesis, protecting the liver from oxidative stress and fibrogenesis in response to diet-induced obesity. Overall, our findings establish a downstream epigenetic checkpoint, whereby Phf2, through facilitating H3K9me2 demethylation at specific gene promoters, protects liver from the pathogenesis progression of NAFLD. Show less

While the physiological benefits of the fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) hepatokine are documented in response to fasting, little information is available on Fgf21 regulation in a glucose-overload context. We report that peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), a nuclear receptor of the fasting response, is required with the carbohydrate-sensitive transcription factor carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) to balance FGF21 glucose response. Microarray analysis indicated that only a few hepatic genes respond to fasting and glucose similarly to Fgf21. Glucose-challenged Chrebp Show less

Since glucose is the principal energy source for most cells, many organisms have evolved numerous and sophisticated mechanisms to sense glucose and respond to it appropriately. In this context, cloning of the carbohydrate responsive element binding protein has unraveled a critical molecular link between glucose metabolism and transcriptional reprogramming induced by glucose. In this review, we detail major findings that have advanced our knowledge of glucose sensing. Show less

Carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) is central for de novo fatty acid synthesis under physiological conditions and in the context of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We explored its contribution to alcohol-induced steatosis in a mouse model of binge drinking as acute ethanol (EtOH) intoxication has become an alarming health problem. Within 6 hours, ChREBP acetylation and its recruitment onto target gene promoters were increased in liver of EtOH-fed mice. Acetylation of ChREBP was dependent on alcohol metabolism because inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity blunted ChREBP EtOH-induced acetylation in mouse hepatocytes. Transfection of an acetylation-defective mutant of ChREBP (ChREBP(K672A) ) in HepG2 cells impaired the stimulatory effect of EtOH on ChREBP activity. Importantly, ChREBP silencing in the liver of EtOH-fed mice prevented alcohol-induced triglyceride accumulation through an inhibition of the lipogenic pathway but also led, unexpectedly, to hypothermia, increased blood acetaldehyde concentrations, and enhanced lethality. This phenotype was associated with impaired hepatic EtOH metabolism as a consequence of reduced ADH activity. While the expression and activity of the NAD(+) dependent deacetylase sirtuin 1, a ChREBP-negative target, were down-regulated in the liver of alcohol-fed mice, they were restored to control levels upon ChREBP silencing. In turn, ADH acetylation was reduced, suggesting that ChREBP regulates EtOH metabolism and ADH activity through its direct control of sirtuin 1 expression. Indeed, when sirtuin 1 activity was rescued by resveratrol pretreatment in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, a significant decrease in ADH protein content and/or acetylation was observed. our study describes a novel role for ChREBP in EtOH metabolism and unravels its protective effect against severe intoxication in response to binge drinking. Show less

Glucose is an energy source that also controls the expression of key genes involved in energetic metabolism through the glucose-signaling transcription factor carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP). ChREBP has recently emerged as a central regulator of glycolysis and de novo fatty acid synthesis in liver, but new evidence shows that it plays a broader and crucial role in various processes, ranging from glucolipotoxicity to apoptosis and/or proliferation in specific cell types. However, several aspects of ChREBP activation by glucose metabolites are currently controversial, as well as the effects of activating or inhibiting ChREBP, on insulin sensitivity, which might depend on genetic, dietary or environmental factors. Thus, much remains to be elucidated. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the regulation and function of this fascinating transcription factor. Show less

In liver, the glucose-responsive transcription factor ChREBP plays a critical role in converting excess carbohydrates into triglycerides through de novo lipogenesis. Although the importance of ChREBP in glucose sensing and hepatic energy utilization is strongly supported, the mechanism driving its activation in response to glucose in the liver is not fully understood. Indeed, the current model of ChREBP activation, which depends on Serine 196 and Threonine 666 dephosphorylation, phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, and xylulose 5-phosphate (X5P) as a signaling metabolite, has been challenged. We inhibited PP2A activity in HepG2 cells through the overexpression of SV40 small t antigen and addressed the importance of ChREBP dephosphorylation on Ser-196 using a phospho-specific antibody. To identify the exact nature of the metabolite signal required for ChREBP activity in liver, we focused on the importance of G6P synthesis in liver cells, through the modulation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity, the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway in hepatocytes, and in HepG2 cells using both adenoviral and siRNA approaches. In contrast to the current proposed model, our study reports that PP2A activity is dispensable for ChREBP activation in response to glucose and that dephosphorylation on Ser-196 is not sufficient to promote ChREBP nuclear translocation in the absence of a rise in glucose metabolism. By deciphering the respective roles of G6P and X5P as signaling metabolites, our study reveals that G6P produced by GK, but not X5P, is essential for both ChREBP nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity in response to glucose in liver cells. Altogether, our study, by reporting that G6P is the glucose-signaling metabolite, challenges the PP2A/X5P-dependent model currently described for ChREBP activation in response to glucose in liver. Show less

Carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) is a key transcription factor that mediates the effects of glucose on glycolytic and lipogenic genes in the liver. We have previously reported that liver-specific inhibition of ChREBP prevents hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice by specifically decreasing lipogenic rates in vivo. To better understand the regulation of ChREBP activity in the liver, we investigated the implication of O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc or O-GlcNAcylation), an important glucose-dependent posttranslational modification playing multiple roles in transcription, protein stabilization, nuclear localization, and signal transduction. O-GlcNAcylation is highly dynamic through the action of two enzymes: the O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which transfers the monosaccharide to serine/threonine residues on a target protein, and the O-GlcNAcase (OGA), which hydrolyses the sugar. To modulate ChREBP(OG) in vitro and in vivo, the OGT and OGA enzymes were overexpressed or inhibited via adenoviral approaches in mouse hepatocytes and in the liver of C57BL/6J or obese db/db mice. Our study shows that ChREBP interacts with OGT and is subjected to O-GlcNAcylation in liver cells. O-GlcNAcylation stabilizes the ChREBP protein and increases its transcriptional activity toward its target glycolytic (L-PK) and lipogenic genes (ACC, FAS, and SCD1) when combined with an active glucose flux in vivo. Indeed, OGT overexpression significantly increased ChREBP(OG) in liver nuclear extracts from fed C57BL/6J mice, leading in turn to enhanced lipogenic gene expression and to excessive hepatic triglyceride deposition. In the livers of hyperglycemic obese db/db mice, ChREBP(OG) levels were elevated compared with controls. Interestingly, reducing ChREBP(OG) levels via OGA overexpression decreased lipogenic protein content (ACC, FAS), prevented hepatic steatosis, and improved the lipidic profile of OGA-treated db/db mice. Taken together, our results reveal that O-GlcNAcylation represents an important novel regulation of ChREBP activity in the liver under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Show less

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with increased lipogenesis in the liver. This results in fat accumulation in hepatocytes, a condition known as hepatic steatosis, which is a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common cause of liver dysfunction in the United States. Carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP), a transcriptional activator of glycolytic and lipogenic genes, has emerged as a major player in the development of hepatic steatosis in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms enhancing its transcriptional activity remain largely unknown. In this study, we have identified the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) coactivator p300 and serine/threonine kinase salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) as key upstream regulators of ChREBP activity. In cultured mouse hepatocytes, we showed that glucose-activated p300 acetylated ChREBP on Lys672 and increased its transcriptional activity by enhancing its recruitment to its target gene promoters. SIK2 inhibited p300 HAT activity by direct phosphorylation on Ser89, which in turn decreased ChREBP-mediated lipogenesis in hepatocytes and mice overexpressing SIK2. Moreover, both liver-specific SIK2 knockdown and p300 overexpression resulted in hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, and inflammation, phenotypes reversed by SIK2/p300 co-overexpression. Finally, in mouse models of type 2 diabetes and obesity, low SIK2 activity was associated with increased p300 HAT activity, ChREBP hyperacetylation, and hepatic steatosis. Our findings suggest that inhibition of hepatic p300 activity may be beneficial for treating hepatic steatosis in obesity and type 2 diabetes and identify SIK2 activators and specific p300 inhibitors as potential targets for pharmaceutical intervention. Show less

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is tightly associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and obesity, but the molecular links between hepatic fat accumulation and insulin resistance are not fully identified. Excessive accumulation of triglycerides (TG) is one the main characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and fatty acids utilized for the synthesis of TG in liver are available from the plasma non-esterified fatty acid pool but also from fatty acids newly synthesized through hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Recently, the transcription factor ChREBP (carbohydrate responsive element binding protein) has emerged as a central determinant of lipid synthesis in liver through its transcriptional control of key genes of the lipogenic pathway, including fatty acid synthase and acetyl CoA carboxylase. In this mini-review, we will focus on the importance of ChREBP in the physiopathology of hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance by discussing the physiological and metabolic consequences of ChREBP knockdown in liver of ob/ob mice. Show less

Dysregulations in hepatic lipid synthesis are often associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and therefore a perfect understanding of the regulation of this metabolic pathway appears essential to identify potential therapeutic targets. Recently, the transcription factor ChREBP (carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein) has emerged as a major mediator of glucose action on lipogenic gene expression and as a key determinant of lipid synthesis in vivo. Indeed, liver-specific inhibition of ChREBP improves hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in obese ob/ob mice. Since ChREBP cellular localization is a determinant of its functional activity, a better knowledge of the mechanisms involved in regulating its nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling and/or its post-translational activation is crucial in both physiology and physiopathology. Here, we review some of the studies that have begun to elucidate the regulation and function of this key transcription factor in liver. Show less

Obesity is a metabolic disorder often associated with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis. Leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice are a well-characterized mouse model of obesity in which increased hepatic lipogenesis is thought to be responsible for the phenotype of insulin resistance. We have recently demonstrated that carbohydrate responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) plays a key role in the control of lipogenesis through the transcriptional regulation of lipogenic genes, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase. The present study reveals that ChREBP gene expression and ChREBP nuclear protein content are significantly increased in liver of ob/ob mice. To explore the involvement of ChREBP in the physiopathology of hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, we have developed an adenovirus-mediated RNA interference technique in which short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) were used to inhibit ChREBP expression in vivo. Liver-specific inhibition of ChREBP in ob/ob mice markedly improved hepatic steatosis by specifically decreasing lipogenic rates. Correction of hepatic steatosis also led to decreased levels of plasma triglycerides and nonesterified fatty acids. As a consequence, insulin signaling was improved in liver, skeletal muscles, and white adipose tissue, and overall glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were restored in ob/ob mice after a 7-day treatment with the recombinant adenovirus expressing shRNA against ChREBP. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ChREBP is central for the regulation of lipogenesis in vivo and plays a determinant role in the development of the hepatic steatosis and of insulin resistance in ob/ob mice. Show less

The liver is a major site for carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis and glycogen synthesis) and triglyceride synthesis (lipogenesis). In the last decade, increasing evidence has emerged to show that nutrients, in particular, glucose and fatty acids, are able to regulate hepatic gene expression in a transcriptional manner. Indeed, although insulin was long thought to be the major regulator of hepatic gene expression, it is now clear that glucose metabolism rather that glucose itself also contributes substantially to the coordinated regulation of carbohydrate and lipid homeostasis in liver. In fact, the recent discovery of the glucose-signaling transcription factor carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) shed some light on the molecular mechanisms by which glycolytic and lipogenic genes are reciprocally regulated by glucose and fatty acids in liver. Here, we will review some of the recent studies that have begun to elucidate the regulation and function of this key transcription factor in liver. Indeed, a better understanding of the mechanisms by which glucose and fatty acids control hepatic gene expression may provide novel insight into the development of new therapeutic strategies for a better management of diseases involving blood glucose and/or disorders of lipid metabolism. Show less

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are potent inhibitors of hepatic glycolysis and lipogenesis. Recently, carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) was implicated in the regulation by glucose of glycolytic and lipogenic genes, including those encoding L-pyruvate kinase (L-PK) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). The aim of our study was to assess the role of ChREBP in the control of L-PK and FAS gene expression by PUFAs. We demonstrated in mice, both in vivo and in vitro, that PUFAs [linoleate (C18:2), eicosapentanoic acid (C20:5), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6)] suppressed ChREBP activity by increasing ChREBP mRNA decay and by altering ChREBP translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus, independently of an activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase, previously shown to regulate ChREBP activity. In contrast, saturated [stearate (C18)] and monounsaturated fatty acids [oleate (C18:1)] had no effect. Since glucose metabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway is determinant for ChREBP nuclear translocation, the decrease in xylulose 5-phosphate concentrations caused by a PUFA diet favors a PUFA-mediated inhibition of ChREBP translocation. In addition, overexpression of a constitutive nuclear ChREBP isoform in cultured hepatocytes significantly reduced the PUFA inhibition of both L-PK and FAS gene expression. Our results demonstrate that the suppressive effect of PUFAs on these genes is primarily caused by an alteration of ChREBP nuclear translocation. In conclusion, we describe a novel mechanism to explain the inhibitory effect of PUFAs on the genes encoding L-PK and FAS and demonstrate that ChREBP is a pivotal transcription factor responsible for coordinating the PUFA suppression of glycolytic and lipogenic genes. Show less

In mammals, the regulation of hepatic metabolism plays a key role in whole body energy balance, since the liver is the major site of carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis and glycogen synthesis) and triglyceride synthesis (lipogenesis). Lipogenesis is regulated through the acute control of key enzyme activities by means of allosteric and covalent modifications. Moreover, the synthesis of most glycolytic and lipogenic enzymes is regulated in response to dietary status, in which glucose, in particular, is a crucial energy nutrient. This latter response occurs in large part through transcriptional regulation of genes encoding glycolytic and lipogenic enzymes. In the past few years, recent advances have been made in understanding the transcriptional regulation of hepatic glycolytic and lipogenic genes by insulin and glucose. Although insulin is a major regulator of hepatic lipogenesis, there is increasing evidence that glucose also contributes to the coordinated regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in liver. Here, we review the respective roles of the transcription factor sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) in mediating the effect of insulin on hepatic gene expression, and the role of carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) in regulating gene transcription by glucose. Show less

Hepatic glucokinase (GK) catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate (G6P), a step which is essential for glucose metabolism in liver as well as for the induction of glycolytic and lipogenic genes. The sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) has emerged as a major mediator of insulin action on hepatic gene expression, but the extent to which its transcriptional effect is caused by an increased glucose metabolism remains unclear. Through the use of hepatic GK knockout mice (hGK-KO) we have shown that the acute stimulation by glucose of l-pyruvate kinase (l-PK), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and Spot 14 genes requires GK expression. To determine whether the effect of SREBP-1c requires GK expression and subsequent glucose metabolism, a transcriptionally active form of SREBP-1c was overexpressed both in vivo and in primary cultures of control and hGK-KO hepatocytes. Our results demonstrate that the synergistic action of SREBP-1c and glucose metabolism via GK is necessary for the maximal induction of l-PK, ACC, FAS, and Spot 14 gene expression. Indeed, in hGK-KO hepatocytes overexpressing SREBP-1c, the effect of glucose on glycolytic and lipogenic genes is lost because of the impaired ability of these hepatocytes to efficiently metabolize glucose, despite a marked increase in low K(m) hexokinase activity. Our studies also reveal that the loss of glucose effect observed in hGK-KO hepatocytes is associated with a decreased in the carbohydrate responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) gene expression, a transcription factor suggested to mediate glucose signaling in liver. Decreased ChREBP gene expression, achieved using small interfering RNA, results in a loss of glucose effect on endogenous glycolytic (l-PK) and lipogenic (FAS, ACC) gene expression, thereby demonstrating the direct implication of ChREBP in glucose action. Together these results support a model whereby both SREBP-1c and glucose metabolism, acting via ChREBP, are necessary for the dietary induction of glycolytic and lipogenic gene expression in liver. Show less