Our long-term goal is to understand the transcription basis of energy metabolism and how the involved transcriptional pathways contribute to metabolic diseases. We have recently demonstrated that nuclear receptor PPAR??is a key regulator for fat burning by activating multiple, coordinated metabolic programs involved in energy expenditure. Importantly, we and others have shown that treatment of wild-type mice with the PPAR??agonist prevents high-fat diet induced obesity and insulin resistance, indicating potential therapeutic values of the agonist for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Our current focus is to determine in detail the physiological role of PPAR??in brown fat metabolism and identify the key molecular regulatory mechanisms that are used to regulate its function. In the first aim, we will use both PPAR?-deficient brown fat cells and fat-specific PPAR??knockout mice to determine whether PPAR??is required for both basal oxidative metabolism and energy uncoupling in brown fat cells, whether PPAR??is required for ?-adrenergic receptor-stimulated thermogenesis, and whether fat-specific PPAR??is important to obesity resistance. In the second aim, we will determine the genetic and biochemical interactions of PPAR??and co-activator PGC-1??in brown fat. We will examine whether in brown fat cells PPAR??employs PGC-1??as its major coactivator and whether the metabolic function of PGC-1??is mediated, at least in part, by PPAR?. In the third aim, we will characterize the metabolic function of a transcriptional co-factor that we have recently identified as a bona fide modulator for PGC-1?/PPAR?- regulated oxidative metabolism pathway. We will examine the physical and functional interactions of this factor with PGC-1??and PPAR?. We will generate transgenic mice expressing this factor in adipose tissue to analyze its in vivo role in energy metabolism.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK076118-02
Application #
7579916
Study Section
Integrative Physiology of Obesity and Diabetes Study Section (IPOD)
Program Officer
Haft, Carol R
Project Start
2008-03-05
Project End
2013-02-28
Budget Start
2009-03-01
Budget End
2010-02-28
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$325,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
603847393
City
Worcester
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
01655
Chen, Qingbo; Huang, Lei; Pan, Dongning et al. (2018) Cbx4 Sumoylates Prdm16 to Regulate Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis. Cell Rep 22:2860-2872
Huang, Lei; Pan, Dongning; Chen, Qingbo et al. (2017) Transcription factor Hlx controls a systematic switch from white to brown fat through Prdm16-mediated co-activation. Nat Commun 8:68
Pan, Dongning; Huang, Lei; Zhu, Lihua J et al. (2015) Jmjd3-Mediated H3K27me3 Dynamics Orchestrate Brown Fat Development and Regulate White Fat Plasticity. Dev Cell 35:568-583
Pan, Dongning; Mao, Chunxiao; Quattrochi, Brian et al. (2014) MicroRNA-378 controls classical brown fat expansion to counteract obesity. Nat Commun 5:4725
Pan, Dongning; Mao, Chunxiao; Wang, Yong-Xu (2013) Suppression of gluconeogenic gene expression by LSD1-mediated histone demethylation. PLoS One 8:e66294
Pan, Dongning; Mao, Chunxiao; Zou, Tie et al. (2012) The histone demethylase Jhdm1a regulates hepatic gluconeogenesis. PLoS Genet 8:e1002761
Wei, Ping; Pan, Dongning; Mao, Chunxiao et al. (2012) RNF34 is a cold-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase for PGC-1? and modulates brown fat cell metabolism. Mol Cell Biol 32:266-75
Angione, Alison R; Jiang, Chunhui; Pan, Dongning et al. (2011) PPARýý regulates satellite cell proliferation and skeletal muscle regeneration. Skelet Muscle 1:33
Wang, Yong-Xu (2010) PPARs: diverse regulators in energy metabolism and metabolic diseases. Cell Res 20:124-37
Pan, Dongning; Fujimoto, Masaki; Lopes, Andrea et al. (2009) Twist-1 is a PPARdelta-inducible, negative-feedback regulator of PGC-1alpha in brown fat metabolism. Cell 137:73-86