title: Identification and characterization of a novel mouse peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha-regulated and starvation-induced gene, Ppsig.
abstract: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) has been known to play a pivotal role in maintaining the energy balance during fasting; however, the battery of PPARalpha target genes involved in this metabolic response is still not fully characterized. Here, we report the identification and characterization of Ppsig (for PPARalpha-regulated and starvation-induced gene) with unknown biological function from mouse liver. Multiple Ppsig cDNAs which differed in the 3'-untranslated regions were identified. The open reading frame of Ppsig cDNA is 1830 bp which encodes a protein of 67.33 kDa. Ppsig contains 11 exons spanning at least 10 kb. Although the exact biological function of Ppsig is still not known, we found that Ppsig mRNA transcript was dramatically up-regulated during 72 h fasting and following treatment with a potent PPARalpha agonist, in a tissue-specific and PPARalpha-dependent manner. A functional peroxisome proliferator-response element was found in the intron 1 of Ppsig, thus confirming that Ppsig is a novel direct mouse PPARalpha target gene. This finding might help in elucidating the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of Ppsig in the cellular response to fasting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Lui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Wun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Cherry Kam-Chun
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Pui-Ting
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Yee-Lok
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Pui-Fong
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: David Sau-Cheuk
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Wing-Tai
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Susanna Sau-Tuen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005215:Fasting / Q000378:metabolism; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013217:Starvation / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D047493:PPAR alpha; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; C531869:retinol saturase (all trans retinol 13,14 reductase), mouse