Regulation of hepatic fasting response by PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1): Requirement for hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α in gluconeogenesis

摘要

The liver plays several critical roles in the metabolic adaptation to fasting. We have shown previously that the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is induced in fasted or diabetic liver and activates the entire program of gluconeogenesis. PGC-1α interacts with several nuclear receptors known to bind gluconeogenic promoters including the glucocorticoid receptor, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. However, the genetic requirement for any of these interactions has not been determined. Using hepatocytes from mice lacking HNF4α in the liver, we show here that PGC-1α completely loses its ability to activate key genes of gluconeogenesis such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase when HNF4α is absent. It is also shown that PGC-1α can induce genes of β-oxidation and ketogenesis in hepatocytes, but these effects do not require HNF4α. Analysis of the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter indicates a key role for HNF4α-binding sites that function robustly only when HNF4α is coactivated by PGC-1α. These data illustrate the involvement of PGC-1α in several aspects of the hepatic fasting response and show that HNF4α is a critical component of PGC-1α-mediated gluconeogenesis.