MicroRNAs in metabolism and metabolic diseases

Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2011:76:225-33. doi: 10.1101/sqb.2011.76.011049. Epub 2011 Dec 12.

Abstract

Aberrant cholesterol/lipid homeostasis is linked to a number of diseases prevalent in the developed world, including metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. We have previously uncovered gene regulatory mechanisms of the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) family of transcription factors, which control the expression of genes involved in cholesterol and lipid biosynthesis and uptake. Intriguingly, we recently discovered conserved microRNAs (miR-33a/b) embedded within intronic sequences of the human SREBF genes that act in a concerted manner with their host gene products to regulate cholesterol/lipid homeostasis. Indeed, miR-33a/b control the levels of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCA1, a cholesterol efflux pump critical for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) synthesis and reverse cholesterol transport from peripheral tissues. Importantly, antisense inhibition of miR-33 in mice results in elevated HDL and decreased atherosclerosis. Interestingly, miR-33a/b also act in the fatty acid/lipid homeostasis pathway by controlling the fatty acid β-oxidation genes carnitine O-octanoyltransferase (CROT), hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A-dehydrogenase (HADHB), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A), as well as the energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPKα1), the NAD(+)-dependent sirtuin SIRT6, and the insulin signaling intermediate IRS2, key regulators of glucose and lipid metabolism. These results have revealed a highly integrated microRNA (miRNA)-host gene circuit governing cholesterol/lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis in mammals that may have important therapeutic implications for the treatment of cardiometabolic disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Biological Transport / genetics
  • Cholesterol / metabolism
  • Conserved Sequence / genetics
  • Energy Metabolism / genetics
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism
  • Glucose / metabolism
  • Homeostasis / genetics
  • Humans
  • Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins / metabolism
  • Introns / genetics
  • Metabolic Diseases / genetics*
  • Metabolism / genetics*
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / biosynthesis
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Sirtuins / metabolism
  • Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • ABCA1 protein, human
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
  • Fatty Acids
  • Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins
  • MicroRNAs
  • Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins
  • Cholesterol
  • AMP-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Sirtuins
  • Glucose