Ryuichiro Sato

Recent studies have shown that lipid droplets are covered with a proteinaceous coat, although the functions and identities of the component proteins have not yet been well elucidated. The first identified lipid droplet-specific proteins are the perilipins, a family of proteins coating the surfaces of lipid droplets of adipocytes. The generation of perilipin-null mice has revealed that although they consume more food than control mice, they have normal body weight and are resistant to diet-induce

The synthesis and secretion of apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 have been studied in a human hepatoblastoma cell line, the Hep G2 cells. Pulse-chase analysis showed that apoB-100 was not quantitatively recovered in the culture medium. To reveal the intracellular degradation of apoB-100 prior to secretion, cells were incubated with 1 microgram/ml Brefeldin A (BFA) which impeded protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus and the fate of apoB-100 retained in the cells wa

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is involved in the transfer of triglycerides, cholesterol esters, and phospholipids to newly synthesized apolipoprotein (apo) B. It is therefore essential for lipoprotein synthesis and secretion in the liver and the small intestine. Although several recent experiments have revealed the transcriptional regulation of the MTP gene, little has been revealed to date about hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4)-dependent regulation. We here report that the h

An AMP-activated protein kinase has been reported to phosphorylate rodent 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase [HMG-CoA reductase; (S)-mevalonate:-NAD+ oxidoreductase (CoA-acylating), EC 1.1.1.88] at Ser-871, thereby lowering its catalytic activity [Clarke, P. R. & Hardie, D. G. (1990) EMBO J. 9, 2439-2446]. To explore the physiologic role of this reaction, we prepared a cDNA encoding a mutant form of hamster HMG-CoA reductase with alanine substituted for serine at residue 871. When o

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are major transcription factors that activate the genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis. We here report that the nuclear forms of SREBPs are modified by the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-1. Mutational analyses identified two major sumoylation sites (Lys(123) and Lys(418)) in SREBP-1a and a single site (Lys(464)) in SREBP-2. Mutant SREBPs lacking one or two sumoylation sites exhibited increased transactivation capac

TGR5 (also known as G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1, GPBAR1) is a G protein-coupled bile acid receptor that is expressed in many diverse tissues. TGR5 is involved in various metabolic processes, including glucose metabolism and energy expenditure; however, TGR5's function in skeletal muscle is not fully understood. Using both gain- and loss-of-function mouse models, we demonstrate here that Tgr5 activation promotes muscle cell differentiation and muscle hypertrophy. Both young and old tra

The destiny and activity of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) in the nucleus are regulated by modification with ubiquitin, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), or phosphorus. ERK-dependent phosphorylation causes an increase in their transcriptional activity, whereas SUMO modification halts it. We hypothesized a causal linkage between phosphorylation and sumoylation because their sites are very closely located in SREBP-1 and -2 molecules. When Ser(455), a phosphorylation site i

Bile acids secreted in the small intestine are reabsorbed in the ileum where they activate the nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR), which in turn stimulates expression of the ileal bile acid-binding protein (I-BABP). We first hypothesized that I-BABP may negatively regulate the FXR activity by competing for the ligands, bile acids. Reporter assays using stable HEK293 cell lines expressing I-BABP revealed that I-BABP enhances rather than attenuates FXR activity. In these cells I-BABP localizes pre

In the course of an effort to identify unknown targets genes for sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) by PCR, the gene for ATP citrate-lyase was determined to be one such gene. (Sato, R., Okamoto, A., Inoue, J., Miyamoto, W., Sakai, Y., Emoto, N., Shimano, H., and Maeda, M. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 12497-12502). We here report that gene expression of sterol Delta8-isomerase (SI), which catalyzes the conversion of the 8-ene isomer into the 7-ene isomer in the last steps of the ch

TRC8 (translocation in renal cancer from chromosome 8) is an intrinsic protein of the endoplasmic reticulum that contains a sterol-sensing domain and a RING finger motif encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Here we show that TRC8 overexpression hinders sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) processing, thereby reducing SREBP-2 target gene expression, TRC8 depletion has the opposite effect. Mutation analyses of TRC8 reveal that the ubiquitin ligase activity is dispensable for these eff

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are tightly controlled by various mechanisms, including intracellular localization, protein processing, limited proteolysis, post-translational modifications and interaction with associated proteins. Here, I review the regulatory mechanisms of SREBP activity through the interaction with various kinds of protein.