The expression of mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A synthase in neonatal rat intestine and liver is under transcriptional control

Glucocorticoid receptor-PPARα axis in fetal mouse liver prepares neonates for milk lipid catabolism

In mammals, hepatic lipid catabolism is essential for the newborns to efficiently use milk fat as an energy source. However, it is unclear how this critical trait is acquired and regulated. We demonstrate that under the control of PPARα, the genes required for lipid catabolism are transcribed before birth so that the neonatal liver has a prompt capacity to extract energy from milk upon suckling. The mechanism involves a fetal glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-PPARα axis in which GR directly regulates the transcriptional activation of PPARα by binding to its promoter. Certain PPARα target genes such as Fgf21 remain repressed in the fetal liver and become PPARα responsive after birth following an epigenetic switch triggered by β-hydroxybutyrate-mediated inhibition of HDAC3. This study identifies an endocrine developmental axis in which fetal GR primes the activity of PPARα in anticipation of the sudden shifts in postnatal nutrient source and metabolic demands.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11853.001

Birth is a highly stressful and critical event. In the womb, babies rely on the supply of oxygen and nutrients provided by the placenta. However, once they are born they need to breathe for themselves and gain all their nutrients from suckling milk. The placenta provides a sugar-rich diet, while milk is richer in fat. Failing to cope with this change in diet leads to serious complications and sometimes death. Therefore, a better understanding of how the body adapts to these changes may shed light on pathways that are important for good health in later life.

The liver plays a central role in processing the nutrients absorbed by the gut. It uses fats to produce molecules called ketone bodies, such as β-hydroxybutyrate, which are then used as fuel by other tissues and organs including the heart, muscle and the brain. A protein called PPARα controls the production of ketone bodies primarily by regulating genes that are involved in the uptake and breakdown of fat in the liver. However, little is known about how this protein affects the development of the liver.

Here, Rando, Tan et al. report that mice start to produce more PPARα in the liver shortly before birth. This ultimately activates several genes that encode enzymes that break down fats. The experiments show that during labor, stress hormones called glucocorticoids directly stimulate the production of PPARα in the liver of the fetus to prepare newborn mice for harnessing energy from fat-rich milk.

In the absence of PPARα, mouse liver cells are less able to break down fats after birth and so start to accumulate fat, resulting in fewer ketone bodies being produced. Rando, Tan et al. show that β-hydroxybutyrate regulates some PPARα target genes, including one called Fgf21. The activity of this gene increases only after milk suckling starts and it encodes a protein that enhances the breakdown of fats in the liver. Without PPARα, the expression levels of its target genes, including Fgf21, do not increase after birth, which promotes the build up of fats in liver cells, a condition known as liver steatosis.

Overall, the results reported by Rando, Tan et al. highlight how stress during labor plays an important role in priming the body to cope with a fat-rich diet after birth. Future studies will need to determine if stress hormones and ketone bodies could be used as therapies for babies born by caesarean section with liver steatosis.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11853.002

Fibroblast growth factor 21 in breast milk controls neonatal intestine function

FGF21 is a hormonal factor with important functions in the control of metabolism. FGF21 is found in rodent and human milk. Radiolabeled FGF21 administered to lactating dams accumulates in milk and is transferred to neonatal gut. The small intestine of neonatal (but not adult) mice highly expresses β-Klotho in the luminal area. FGF21-KO pups fed by FGF21-KO dams showed decreased expression and circulating levels of incretins (GIP and GLP-1), reduced gene expression of intestinal lactase and maltase-glucoamylase, and low levels of galactose in plasma, all associated with a mild decrease in body weight. When FGF21-KO pups were nursed by wild-type dams (expressing FGF21 in milk), intestinal peptides and digestive enzymes were up-regulated, lactase enzymatic activity was induced, and galactose levels and body weight were normalized. Neonatal intestine explants were sensitive to FGF21, as evidenced by enhanced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Oral infusion of FGF21 into neonatal pups induced expression of intestinal hormone factors and digestive enzymes, lactase activity and lactose absorption. These findings reveal a novel role of FGF21 as a hormonal factor contributing to neonatal intestinal function via its presence in maternal milk. Appropriate signaling of FGF21 to neonate is necessary to ensure optimal digestive and endocrine function in developing intestine.

Keratin 8 absence down-regulates colonocyte HMGCS2 and modulates colonic ketogenesis and energy metabolism

Absence of colonic keratin 8 causes intestinal inflammation and decreased levels of the ketogenic enzyme HMGCS2. Upstream, the butyrate transporter MCT1 is decreased, leading to increased luminal butyrate. Ketogenic conditions fail to induce HMGCS2 in the keratin 8–knockout colon, suggesting a role for keratins in colonocyte energy homeostasis.

Simple-type epithelial keratins are intermediate filament proteins important for mechanical stability and stress protection. Keratin mutations predispose to human liver disorders, whereas their roles in intestinal diseases are unclear. Absence of keratin 8 (K8) in mice leads to colitis, decreased Na/Cl uptake, protein mistargeting, and longer crypts, suggesting that keratins contribute to intestinal homeostasis. We describe the rate-limiting enzyme of the ketogenic energy metabolism pathway, mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), as a major down-regulated protein in the K8-knockout (K8^−/−) colon. K8 absence leads to decreased quantity and activity of HMGCS2, and the down-regulation is not dependent on the inflammatory state, since HMGCS2 is not decreased in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α, a transcriptional activator of HMGCS2, is similarly down-regulated. Ketogenic conditions—starvation or ketogenic diet—increase K8^+/+ HMGCS2, whereas this response is blunted in the K8^−/− colon. Microbiota-produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), substrates in the colonic ketone body pathway, are increased in stool, which correlates with decreased levels of their main transporter, monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1). Microbial populations, including the main SCFA-butyrate producers in the colon, were not altered in the K8^−/−. In summary, the regulation of the SCFA-MCT1-HMGCS2 axis is disrupted in K8^−/− colonocytes, suggesting a role for keratins in colonocyte energy metabolism and homeostasis.

Oleate metabolism in pig enterocytes is characterized by an increased oxidation rate in the presence of a high esterification rate within two days after birth

Oleate (OLE) is the principle fatty acid (FA) in mammalian colostrum, but its role in the energy supply in enterocytes after birth remains unknown. We investigated the metabolic fate of OLE in pig enterocytes at birth (d0) and after 2 d of suckling (d2). Cellular TG and phospholipids (PL) and FA composition were analyzed. Metabolic end-products of [1-¹⁴C]OLE were measured in enterocyte incubations. We characterized intestinal carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), the key enzyme of mitochondrial FA oxidation. The TG content was 6.6-fold higher in enterocytes from pigs on d 2 than in those obtained on d 0, whereas the PL content did not differ. The level of OLE in TG and PL increased from 15 and 11% of total FA, respectively, in enterocytes from newborn piglets to 30 and 17%, respectively, in those from d2 pigs. The capacity for OLE utilization was 2.8-fold greater in d2 than in d0 pig enterocytes. The oxidation and esterification rates were enhanced in enterocytes from piglets on d 2 compared to those obtained on d 0, by 4- and 2.6-fold, respectively. The predominant OLE fate was the esterification pathway, representing >85% of OLE metabolized in both groups. The limited OLE oxidation observed at d 2 may result from the presence of a highly malonyl-CoA-sensitive CPT1A, because the half maximal inhibitory concentration for malonyl-CoA was 162 ± 25 nmol/L. This study highlighted the high esterification capacity for OLE in the newborn pig intestine, which may preserve this major colostrum FA for delivery to other tissues.

Tissue-specific disallowance of housekeeping genes: the other face of cell differentiation

We report on a hitherto poorly characterized class of genes that are expressed in all tissues, except in one. Often, these genes have been classified as housekeeping genes, based on their nearly ubiquitous expression. However, the specific repression in one tissue defines a special class of "disallowed genes." In this paper, we used the intersection-union test to screen for such genes in a multi-tissue panel of genome-wide mRNA expression data. We propose that disallowed genes need to be repressed in the specific target tissue to ensure correct tissue function. We provide mechanistic data of repression with two metabolic examples, exercise-induced inappropriate insulin release and interference with ketogenesis in liver. Developmentally, this repression is established during tissue maturation in the early postnatal period involving epigenetic changes in histone methylation. In addition, tissue-specific expression of microRNAs can further diminish these repressed mRNAs. Together, we provide a systematic analysis of tissue-specific repression of housekeeping genes, a phenomenon that has not been studied so far on a genome-wide basis and, when perturbed, can lead to human disease.

Co-expression of glutaminase K and L isoenzymes in human tumour cells

The pattern of expression of glutaminase isoenzymes in tumour cells has been investigated to clarify its role in the malignant transformation and the prospect of its use as a clinically relevant factor. Using leukaemia cells from medullar blood of human patients and several established human cancer cell lines, we have developed a competitive RT (reverse transcriptase)-PCR assay to quantify simultaneously K-type (kidney-type) and L-type (liver-type) glutaminase mRNAs. Co-expression of both transcripts and higher amounts of L-type mRNA were always found in all cancer cell types analysed. However, mature lymphocytes from the medullar blood of a patient suffering aplasia did not express the K-type transcript and showed a 15-fold increase of L-type transcript. Co-expression was also confirmed at the protein level using isoform-specific antibodies; nevertheless, it did not correlate with the relative abundance of glutaminase transcripts and strong K-type protein signals were detected. On the other hand, marked differences were found with regard to glutamate inhibition and phosphate activation of tumour glutaminase activity. Taken together, the protein data suggest that K isoform would account for the majority of glutaminase activity in these human tumour cells. The results confirm that simultaneous expression of both isoenzymes in human cancer cells is a more frequent event than previously thought. Furthermore, the present work and other previous data suggest that K isoform is up-regulated with increased rates of proliferation, whereas prevalence of the L isoform seems to be related with resting or quiescent cell states.

Control of human carnitine palmitoyltransferase II gene transcription by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor through a partially conserved peroxisome proliferator-responsive element

The expression of several genes involved in fatty acid metabolism is regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). To gain more insight into the control of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) gene expression, we examined the transcriptional regulation of the human CPT II gene. We show that the 5'-flanking region of this gene is transcriptionally active and binds PPARalpha in vivo in a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. In addition, we characterized the peroxisome proliferator-responsive element (PPRE) in the proximal promoter of the CPT II gene, which appears to be a novel PPRE. The sequence of this PPRE contains one half-site which is a perfect consensus sequence (TGACCT) but no clearly recognizable second half-site (CAGCAC); this part of the sequence contains only one match to the consensus, which seems to be irrelevant for the binding of PPARalpha. As expected, other members of the nuclear receptor superfamily also bind to this element and repress the activation mediated by PPARalpha, thus showing that the interplay between several nuclear receptors may regulate the entry of fatty acids into the mitochondria, a crucial step in their metabolism.

Developmental expression of trehalase: role of transcriptional activation

The third postnatal week of mouse development is characterized by dramatic changes of gene expression in the small intestine. Although these changes are often assumed to reflect regulation at the level of transcription, to date there have been no direct investigations of this. In the current study we have used trehalase as a marker of intestinal maturation. Highly sensitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction methods were developed for semi-quantitative analysis of both initial and mature transcripts, i.e., hnRNA and mRNA. Jejunums collected during normal development (specifically from postnatal days 8-21) showed parallel increases in the levels of trehalase hnRNA and mRNA. Likewise, when precocious gut maturation was elicited by dexamethasone administration on days 8-10, both initial and mature trehalase transcripts were significantly increased, although with a relatively slow time course. We conclude that both normal and glucocorticoid-induced maturation of trehalase expression reflect transcriptional activation. However, the slow time course of the glucocorticoid effect suggests that trehalase may not be a primary response gene.

Developmental Changes in Carnitine Octanoyltransferase Gene Expression in Intestine and Liver of Suckling Rats

Carnitine octanoyltransferase (COT), which facilitates the transport of shortened fatty acyl-CoAs from peroxisomes to mitochondria, is expressed in the intestinal mucosa of suckling rats; its mRNA levels increase rapidly after birth, remain steady until day 15, and decrease until weaning, when basal, adult values are established, which remain unchanged thereafter. The process seems to be controlled at the transcriptional level since the developmental pattern of mRNA coincides with that of pre-mRNA values. Dam's milk may influence the intestinal expression of COT, since mRNA levels at birth are low and increase after the first lactation. Moreover, mRNA levels decrease in rats weaned on day 18 or 21. COT is also expressed in the liver of suckling rats. Hepatic COT mRNA is maximal at day 3, remains constant until day 9, and decreases thereafter; this pattern is also similar to that of pre-mRNA values. The profile of expression of COT in intestine and liver strongly resembles that of mitochondrial 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I, suggesting that analogous transcription factors modulate ketogenesis and mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation.

A mitochondrial ketogenic enzyme regulates its gene expression by association with the nuclear hormone receptor PPARalpha

Mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (mHMG-CoAS) is a key enzyme in ketogenesis, catalyzing the condensation of acetyl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA to generate HMG-CoA, which is eventually converted to ketone bodies. Transcription of the nuclear-encoded gene for mHMG-CoAS is stimulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha, a fatty acid-activated nuclear hormone receptor. Here we show that the mHMG-CoAS protein physically interacts with PPARalpha in vitro, and potentiates PPARalpha-dependent transcriptional activation via the cognate PPAR response element of the mHMG-CoAS gene in vivo. Immunofluorescence of transiently transfected cells demonstrated that in the presence of PPARalpha, mHMG-CoAS is translocated into the nucleus. Binding to PPARalpha, stimulation of PPARalpha activity and nuclear penetration require the integrity of the sequence LXXLL in mHMG-CoAS, a motif known to mediate the interaction between nuclear hormone receptors and coactivators. These findings reveal a novel mechanism of gene regulation whereby the product of a PPARalpha-responsive gene, normally resident in the mitochondria, directly interacts with this nuclear hormone receptor to autoregulate its own nuclear transcription.

Molecular cloning of rat mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase and detection of the corresponding mRNA and of those encoding the remaining enzymes comprising the ketogenic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA cycle in central nervous system of suckling rat

We have investigated, by RNase protection assays in rat brain regions and primary cortical astrocyte cultures, the presence of the mRNA species encoding the three mitochondrially located enzymes acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase, mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (mt. HMG-CoA synthase) and HMG-CoA lyase (HMG-CoA lyase) that together constitute the ketogenic HMG-CoA cycle. As a prerequisite we obtained a full-length cDNA encoding rat HMG-CoA lyase by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR coupled to a modification of PCR-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (PCR-RACE). We report here: (1) the nucleotide sequence of rat mt. HMG-CoA lyase, (2) detection of the mRNA species encoding all three HMG-CoA cycle enzymes in all regions of rat brain during suckling, (3) approximately twice the abundance of mt. HMG-CoA synthase mRNA in cerebellum than in cortex in 11-day-old suckling rat pups, (4) significantly lower abundances of mt. HMG-CoA synthase mRNA in brain regions derived from rats weaned to a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet compared with the corresponding regions derived from the suckling rat, and (5) the presence of mt. HMG-CoA synthase mRNA in primary cultures of neonatal cortical astrocytes at an abundance similar to that found in liver of weaned animals. These results provide preliminary evidence that certain neural cell types possess ketogenic potential and might thus have a direct role in the provision of fatty acid-derived ketone bodies during the suckling period.

Mitochondrial biogenesis in the liver during development and oncogenesis

The analysis of the expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes in the liver during development reveals the existence of two biological programs involved in the biogenesis of mitochondria. Differentiation is a short-term program of biogenesis that is controlled at post-transcriptional levels of gene expression and is responsible for the rapid changes in the bioenergetic phenotype of mitochondria. In contrast, proliferation is a long-term program controlled both at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels of gene expression and is responsible for the increase in mitochondrial mass in the hepatocyte. Recently, a specific subcellular structure involved in the localization and control of the translation of the mRNA encoding the beta-catalytic subunit of the H(+)-ATP synthase (beta-mRNA) has been identified. It is suggested that this structure plays a prominent role in the control of mitochondrial biogenesis at post-transcriptional levels. The fetal liver has many phenotypic manifestations in common with highly glycolytic tumor cells. In addition, both have a low mitochondrial content despite a paradoxical increase in the cellular representation of oxidative phosphorylation transcripts. Based on the paradigm provided by the fetal liver we hypothesize that the aberrant mitochondrial phenotype of fast-growing hepatomas represents a reversion to a fetal program of expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes by the activation, or increased expression, of an inhibitor of beta-mRNA translation.