Rev-erbalpha, a heme sensor that coordinates metabolic and circadian pathways

Science. 2007 Dec 14;318(5857):1786-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1150179. Epub 2007 Nov 15.

Abstract

The circadian clock temporally coordinates metabolic homeostasis in mammals. Central to this is heme, an iron-containing porphyrin that serves as prosthetic group for enzymes involved in oxidative metabolism as well as transcription factors that regulate circadian rhythmicity. The circadian factor that integrates this dual function of heme is not known. We show that heme binds reversibly to the orphan nuclear receptor Rev-erbalpha, a critical negative component of the circadian core clock, and regulates its interaction with a nuclear receptor corepressor complex. Furthermore, heme suppresses hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression and glucose output through Rev-erbalpha-mediated gene repression. Thus, Rev-erbalpha serves as a heme sensor that coordinates the cellular clock, glucose homeostasis, and energy metabolism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Clocks
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Circadian Rhythm* / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Gluconeogenesis / genetics
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Glucose-6-Phosphatase / genetics
  • Glucose-6-Phosphatase / metabolism
  • Heme / metabolism*
  • Hemin / pharmacology
  • Histone Deacetylases / metabolism
  • Homeostasis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways*
  • Mice
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Nuclear Receptor Co-Repressor 1
  • Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group D, Member 1
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / metabolism*
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • NCOR1 protein, human
  • NR1D1 protein, human
  • Ncor1 protein, mouse
  • Nr1d1 protein, mouse
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Nuclear Receptor Co-Repressor 1
  • Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group D, Member 1
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Heme
  • Hemin
  • Glucose-6-Phosphatase
  • Histone Deacetylases
  • histone deacetylase 3
  • Glucose