title: Proteolytic activation of SREBPs during adipocyte differentiation.
abstract: A member of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) family, SREBP-1, is a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation. Expression of the SREBP-1 gene is induced during adipocyte differentiation, but proteolytic activation of the synthesized precursor form of SREBP-1 has not been well analyzed. The proteolytic processing of SREBPs is severely suppressed in sterol loaded culture cells. Here we report that a splicing isoform, SREBP-1a, is predominantly expressed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes, and that the nuclear active form of SREBP-1 protein increases in adipocyte differentiation. We further show that the amount of nuclear SREBP-2 protein also increases despite no increase in SREBP-2 mRNA, suggesting that proteolytic cleavage of SREBPs is induced in lipid loaded adipocytes. Northern blot analyses reveal that mRNA levels for SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP), Site-1 protease (S1P), and Site-2 protease (S2P), which participate in the proteolytic processing of SREBPs, are relatively unaffected in adipogenesis. These results demonstrate that SREBP-2 appears to promote adipocyte differentiation as well as SREBP-1 and that the proteolytic activation of SREBPs may be induced by an as-yet unidentified mechanism in lipid loaded adipocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1; D051782:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C102196:SREBP cleavage-activating protein; C497388:Srebf1 protein, mouse; C497391:Srebf2 protein, mouse; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1; D051782:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2; D014157:Transcription Factors; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C115575:membrane-bound transcription factor peptidase, site 1