title: Berberine attenuates autophagy in adipocytes by targeting BECN1.
abstract: The lysosomal degradation pathway, autophagy, is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Recently, autophagy has been demonstrated to be required in the process of adipocyte conversion. However, its role in mature adipocytes under physiological and pathological conditions remains unclear. Here, we report a major function of BECN1 in the regulation of basal autophagy in mature adipocytes. We also show that berberine, a natural plant alkaloid, inhibits basal autophagy in adipocytes and adipose tissue of mice fed a high-fat diet via downregulation of BECN1 expression. We further demonstrate that berberine has a pronounced effect on the stability of Becn 1 mRNA through the Mir30 family. These findings explore the potential of BECN1 as a key molecule and a drug target for regulating autophagy in mature adipocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yujie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology; Department of Hypertension; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases; Ruijin Hospital; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D041721:3T3-L1 Cells; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071186:Beclin-1; D001599:Berberine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D020871:RNA Stability / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D000071186:Beclin-1; C115010:Becn1 protein, mouse; D035683:MicroRNAs; C534715:Mirn30d microRNA, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001599:Berberine
keywords: 3′ UTR; BECN1; adipocytes; autophagy; berberine; microRNA