title: Decreased nuclear hormone receptor expression in the livers of mice in late pregnancy.
abstract: During the third trimester of pregnancy, there is an increase in serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. The mechanisms accounting for these changes in lipid metabolism during pregnancy are unknown. We hypothesized that, during pregnancy, the expression of nuclear hormone receptors involved in regulating lipid metabolism would decrease. In 19-day pregnant mice, serum triglyceride and non-HDL cholesterol levels were significantly increased, whereas total cholesterol was slightly decreased, because of a decrease in the HDL fraction. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha, PPARbeta/delta, and PPARgamma, liver X receptor (LXR)alpha and LXRbeta, farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and retinoid X receptor (RXR)alpha, RXRbeta, and RXRgamma mRNA levels were significantly decreased in the livers of 19-day pregnant mice. Additionally, the expressions of thyroid receptor (TR)alpha, pregnane X receptor, sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1a, SREBP-1c, SREBP-2, and liver receptor homolog 1 were also decreased, whereas the expression of TRbeta, constitutive androstane receptor, and hepatic nuclear factor 4 showed no significant change. mRNA levels of the PPAR target genes carnitine-palmitoyl transferase 1alpha and acyl-CoA oxidase, the LXR target genes SREBP1c, ATP-binding cassettes G5 and G8, the FXR target gene SHP, and the TR target genes malic enzyme and Spot14 were all significantly decreased. Finally, the expressions of PPARgamma coactivator (PGC)-1alpha and PGC-1beta, known activators of a number of nuclear hormone receptors, were also significantly decreased. The decreases in expression of RXRs, PPARs, LXRs, FXR, TRs, SREBPs, and PGC-1s could contribute to the alterations in lipid metabolism during late pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
authors.forename: Trevor R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Arthur H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Judy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Shigenaga
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grunfeld
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Feingold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 / Q000502:physiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; D051379:Mice; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C496592:HNF4A protein, human; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D008055:Lipids; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; C000605213:NR1H3 protein, human; C000605214:Nr1h3 protein, mouse; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; C485290:Ppargc1a protein, mouse; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors