scholarly journals Targeting Orphan Nuclear Receptors NR4As for Energy Homeostasis and Diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenyang Zhang ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Xuelian Zhang ◽  
Guibo Sun ◽  
Xiaobo Sun

Orphan nuclear receptors are important members of the nuclear receptor family and may regulate cell proliferation, metabolism, differentiation, and apoptosis. NR4As, a subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors, have been reported to play key roles in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis. Popularity of obesity has resulted in a series of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and its complications. While imbalance of energy intake and expenditure is the main cause of obesity, the concrete mechanism of obesity has not been fully understood. It has been reported that NR4As have significant regulatory effects on energy homeostasis and diabetes and are expected to become new targets for discovering drugs for metabolic syndrome. A number of studies have demonstrated that abnormalities in metabolism induced by altered levels of NR4As may contribute to numerous diseases, such as chronic inflammation, tumorigenesis, diabetes and its complications, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases. However, systematic reviews focusing on the roles of NR4As in mediating energy homeostasis and diabetes remain limited. Therefore, this article reviews the structure and regulation of NR4As and their critical function in energy homeostasis and diabetes, as well as small molecules that may regulate NR4As. Our work is aimed at providing valuable support for the research and development of drugs targeting NR4As for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Lukowicz ◽  
Sandrine Ellero-Simatos ◽  
Marion Régnier ◽  
Fabiana Oliviero ◽  
Frédéric Lasserre ◽  
...  

AbstractMetabolic diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes and hepatic steatosis are a public health concern in developed countries. The metabolic risk is gender‐dependent. The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), which is at the crossroads between energy metabolism and endocrinology, has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. In this study we sought to determine its role in the dimorphic regulation of energy homeostasis. We tracked male and female WT and CAR deficient (CAR−/−) mice for over a year. During aging, CAR−/− male mice developed hypercortisism, obesity, glucose intolerance, insulin insensitivity, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis. Remarkably, the latter modifications were absent, or minor, in female CAR−/− mice. When ovariectomized, CAR−/− female mice developed identical patterns of metabolic disorders as observed in male mice. These results highlight the importance of steroid hormones in the regulation of energy metabolism by CAR. They unveil a sexually dimorphic role of CAR in the maintenance of endocrine and metabolic homeostasis underscoring the importance of considering sex in treatment of metabolic diseases.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanhai Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyun He ◽  
Yao Sheng ◽  
Jia Xu ◽  
Cui Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground/objectives:Disorder of energy homeostasis can lead to a variety of metabolic diseases, especially obesity. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a promising potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases. Allicin, a main bioactive ingredient in garlic, has multiple biology and pharmacological function. However, the role of Allicin, in the regulation of metabolic organ, especially the role of activation of BAT, has not been well studied. Here, we analyzed the role of Allicin in whole-body metabolism and the activation of BAT.Results:Allicin had a significant effect in inhibiting body weight gain, decreasing adiposity, maintaining glucose homeostasis, improving insulin resistance, and ameliorating hepatic steatosis in diet-introduced obesity (DIO) mice. Then we find that Allicin can strongly activate brown adipose tissue (BAT). The activation of brown adipocyte treated with Allicin was also confirmed in mouse primary brown adipocytes.Conclusion:Allicin can ameliorate obesity through activating brown adipose tissue. Our findings provide a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Burris ◽  
Scott A. Busby ◽  
Patrick R. Griffin

2020 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuohao Liu ◽  
Kelvin K.L. Wu ◽  
Xue Jiang ◽  
Aimin Xu ◽  
Kenneth K.Y. Cheng

Abstract Adipose tissue as the largest energy reservoir and endocrine organ is essential for maintenance of systemic glucose, lipid and energy homeostasis, but these metabolic functions decline with ageing and obesity. Adipose tissue senescence is one of the common features in obesity and ageing. Although cellular senescence is a defensive mechanism preventing tumorigenesis, its occurrence in adipose tissue causatively induces defective adipogenesis, inflammation, aberrant adipocytokines production and insulin resistance, leading to adipose tissue dysfunction. In addition to these paracrine effects, adipose tissue senescence also triggers systemic inflammation and senescence as well as insulin resistance in the distal metabolic organs, resulting in Type 2 diabetes and other premature physiological declines. Multiple cell types including mature adipocytes, immune cells, endothelial cells and progenitor cells gradually senesce at different levels in different fat depots with ageing and obesity, highlighting the heterogeneity and complexity of adipose tissue senescence. In this review, we discuss the causes and consequences of adipose tissue senescence, and the major cell types responsible for adipose tissue senescence in ageing and obesity. In addition, we summarize the pharmacological approaches and lifestyle intervention targeting adipose tissue senescence for the treatment of obesity- and ageing-related metabolic diseases.


Physiology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Pearen ◽  
George E. O. Muscat

Nuclear hormone receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of eukaryotic ligand-dependent transcription factors that translate endocrine, metabolic, nutritional, developmental, and pathophysiological signals into gene regulation. Members of the NR superfamily (on the basis of sequence homology) that lack identified natural and/or synthetic ligands are/were classified as “orphan” NRs. These members of the NR superfamily are abundantly expressed in tissues associated with major metabolic activity, such as skeletal muscle, adipose, and liver. Subsequently, in vivo genetic studies on these orphan NRs and exploitation of novel natural and synthetic agonists has revealed that orphan NRs regulate 1) carbohydrate, lipid, and energy homeostasis in a tissue-specific manner, and 2) the pathophysiology of dyslipidemia, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This review discusses key studies that have implicated the orphan NRs as organ-specific regulators of metabolism and mediators of adverse pathophysiological effects. The emerging discovery of novel endogenous orphan NR ligands and synthetic agonists has provided the foundation for therapeutic exploitation of the orphans in the treatment of metabolic disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Zhou ◽  
Xinyi Peng ◽  
Jie Hu ◽  
Liwen Wang ◽  
Hairong Luo ◽  
...  

AbstractAdipose tissue-resident T cells have been recognized as a critical regulator of thermogenesis and energy expenditure, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding greatly suppresses the expression of disulfide-bond A oxidoreductase-like protein (DsbA-L), a mitochondria-localized chaperone protein, in adipose-resident T cells, which correlates with reduced T cell mitochondrial function. T cell-specific knockout of DsbA-L enhances diet-induced thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and protects mice from HFD-induced obesity, hepatosteatosis, and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, DsbA-L deficiency in T cells reduces IFN-γ production and activates protein kinase A by reducing phosphodiesterase-4D expression, leading to increased BAT thermogenesis. Taken together, our study uncovers a mechanism by which T cells communicate with brown adipocytes to regulate BAT thermogenesis and whole-body energy homeostasis. Our findings highlight a therapeutic potential of targeting T cells for the treatment of over nutrition-induced obesity and its associated metabolic diseases.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Natalia Santucci ◽  
Rocío Stampone ◽  
Eduardo Brandão Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Silvina Villar ◽  
Silvana Spinelli ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> IL-1β, a cytokine from the innate immune response, is well known for its proinflammatory effects and stimulating activity on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to the pituitary synthesis of adrenocorticotropic hormone followed by cortisol (and dehydroepiandrosterone – DHEA) release by the adrenal gland. While IL-1β modulates the adrenal steroidogenesis at the central level, it is unclear whether it also exerts an effect on the adrenal gland. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We studied the effect of IL-1β on adrenal steroid production and steroidogenic enzyme RNA expression in the human cell line NCI-H295R. We also explored eventual changes in the microRNA (miRNA) profile from IL-1β-treated NCI-H295R cells. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Transcripts encoding IL-1β receptors 1 and 2 were noticeable in the cell line, with cortisol and DHEA production showing a subtle increase after cytokine treatment. Transcripts from key enzymes in the steroidogenic pathway were analyzed, with no noticeable changes on them. The miRNA profile was modified by IL-1β treatment to an extent which bears some relationship with the regulatory mechanisms underlying adrenal steroid production. Since orphan nuclear receptors NR4As have emerged as potential key factors for coordinating inflammatory and metabolic responses, cell expression studies were also carried out to show an NR4As transcript augmentation following IL-1β treatment. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusions:</i></b> The subtle increase in adrenal steroid production in response to IL-1β stimulation without any modification in the transcription of the steroidogenic enzymes analyzed suggests an additional inflammatory/anti-inflammatory loop, wherein NR4As receptors may participate. Besides its physiological role, this process might be implied in pathological states accompanied by an unbalanced immune-endocrine relationship.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Teng Chang ◽  
Ming-Yuan Hong ◽  
Chien-Liang Chen ◽  
Chi-Yuan Hwang ◽  
Cheng-Chieh Tsai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been extensively used as essential modulators in clinical infectious and inflammatory diseases. The GC receptor (GR) is a transcription factor belonging to the nuclear receptor family that regulates anti-inflammatory processes and releases pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6. Results Five putative GR binding sites and other transcriptional factor binding sites were identified on theIL-6 promoter, and dexamethasone (DEX) was noted to reduce the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-6 production. Among mutant transcriptional factor binding sites, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), activator protein (AP)-1, and specificity protein (Sp)1–2 sites reduced basal and LPS-induced IL-6 promoter activities through various responses. The second GR binding site (GR2) was noted to play a crucial role in both basal and inducible promoter activities in LPS-induced inflammation. Conclusions We concluded that selective GR2 modulator might exert agonistic and antagonistic effects and could activate crucial signaling pathways during the LPS-stimulated inflammatory process.


2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 388-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
W-S Au ◽  
V A Payne ◽  
S O'Rahilly ◽  
J J Rochford

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