title: Statins enhance peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha activity to regulate energy metabolism.
abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) serves as an inducible coactivator for a number of transcription factors to control energy metabolism. Insulin signaling through Akt kinase has been demonstrated to phosphorylate PGC-1alpha at serine 571 and downregulate its activity in the liver. Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors that reduce cholesterol synthesis in the liver. In this study, we found that statins reduced the active form of Akt and enhanced PGC-1alpha activity. Specifically, statins failed to activate an S571A mutant of PGC-1alpha. The activation of PGC-1alpha by statins selectively enhanced the expression of energy metabolizing enzymes and regulators including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, acyl-CoA oxidase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1A, and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4. Importantly, a constitutively active form of Akt partially reduced the statin-enhanced gene expression. Our study thus provides a plausible mechanistic explanation for the hypolipidemic effect of statin through elevating the rate of beta-oxidation and mitochondrial Kreb's cycle capacity to enhance fatty acid utilization while reducing the rate of glycolysis.
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wenxian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chi-Wai
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D047493:PPAR alpha; D047495:PPAR gamma; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt