title: Plenary Lecture 2: Transcription factors, regulatory elements and nutrient-gene communication.
abstract: Dramatic advances have been made in the understanding of the differing molecular mechanisms used by nutrients to regulate genes that are essential for their biological roles to carry out normal metabolism. Classical studies have focused on nutrients as ligands to activate specific transcription factors. New interest has focused on histone acetylation as a process for either global or limited gene activation and is the first mechanism to be discussed. Nuclear ATP-citrate lyase generates acetyl-CoA, which has been shown to have a role in the activation of specific genes via selective histone acetylation. Transcription factor acetylation may provide a second mode of control of nutrient-responsive gene transcription. The third mechanism relates to the availability of response elements within chromatin, which as well as the location of the elements in the gene may allow or prevent transcription. A fourth mechanism involves intracellular transport of Zn ions, which can orchestrate localized enzyme inhibition-activation. This process in turn influences signalling molecules that regulate gene expression. The examples provided in the present review point to a new level of complexity in understanding nutrient-gene communication.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutritional Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. cousins@ufl.edu
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cousins
authors.forename: Tolunay B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Aydemir
authors.forename: Louis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lichten
mesh_terms: D001275:ATP Citrate (pro-S)-Lyase / Q000378:metabolism; D000105:Acetyl Coenzyme A / Q000378:metabolism; D000107:Acetylation; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000235:genetics; D005502:Food; D015870:Gene Expression; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics*; D050436:Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional; D020218:Response Elements; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D008024:Ligands; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000105:Acetyl Coenzyme A; D001275:ATP Citrate (pro-S)-Lyase; D015032:Zinc