Proto-oncoprotein Zbtb7c and SIRT1 repression: implications in high-fat diet-induced and age-dependent obesity

Exp Mol Med. 2021 May;53(5):917-932. doi: 10.1038/s12276-021-00628-5. Epub 2021 May 20.

Abstract

Zbtb7c is a proto-oncoprotein that controls the cell cycle and glucose, glutamate, and lipid metabolism. Zbtb7c expression is increased in the liver and white adipose tissues of aging or high-fat diet-fed mice. Knockout or knockdown of Zbtb7c gene expression inhibits the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and decreases adipose tissue mass in aging mice. We found that Zbtb7c was a potent transcriptional repressor of SIRT1 and that SIRT1 was derepressed in various tissues of Zbtb7c-KO mice. Mechanistically, Zbtb7c interacted with p53 and bound to the proximal promoter p53RE1 and p53RE2 to repress the SIRT1 gene, in which p53RE2 was particularly critical. Zbtb7c induced p53 to interact with the corepressor mSin3A-HADC1 complex at p53RE. By repressing the SIRT1 gene, Zbtb7c increased the acetylation of Pgc-1α and Pparγ, which resulted in repression or activation of Pgc-1α or Pparγ target genes involved in lipid metabolism. Our study provides a molecular target that can overexpress SIRT1 protein in the liver, pancreas, and adipose tissues, which can be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes, obesity, longevity, etc.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3T3-L1 Cells
  • Adipocytes / cytology
  • Adipocytes / metabolism
  • Aging / genetics*
  • Aging / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Diet, High-Fat* / adverse effects
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Disease Susceptibility
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / genetics*
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Obesity / etiology*
  • Obesity / metabolism*
  • Obesity / pathology
  • Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Response Elements
  • Sirtuin 1 / genetics*
  • Sirtuin 1 / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Oncogene Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Trp53 protein, mouse
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • Sirtuin 1