Orphan nuclear receptor Errγ induces C-reactive protein gene expression through induction of ER-bound Bzip transmembrane transcription factor CREBH

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 22;9(1):e86342. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086342. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor-γ (ERRγ) is a constitutively active transcription factor regulating genes involved in several important cellular processes, including hepatic glucose metabolism, alcohol metabolism, and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. cAMP responsive element-binding protein H (CREBH) is an ER-bound bZIP family transcription factor that is activated upon ER stress and regulates genes encoding acute-phase proteins whose expression is increased in response to inflammation. Here, we report that ERRγ directly regulates CREBH gene expression in response to ER stress. ERRγ bound to the ERRγ response element (ERRE) in the CREBH promoter. Overexpression of ERRγ by adenovirus significantly increased expression of CREBH as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), whereas either knockdown of ERRγ or inhibition of ERRγ by ERRγ specific inverse agonist, GSK5182, substantially inhibited ER stress-mediated induction of CREBH and CRP. The transcriptional coactivator PGC1α was required for ERRγ mediated induction of the CREBH gene as demonstrated by the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay showing binding of both ERRγ and PGC1α on the CREBH promoter. The ChIP assay also revealed that histone H3 and H4 acetylation occurred at the ERRγ and PGC1α binding site. Moreover, chronic alcoholic hepatosteatosis, as well as the diabetic obese condition significantly increased CRP gene expression, and this increase was significantly attenuated by GSK5182 treatment. We suggest that orphan nuclear receptor ERRγ directly regulates the ER-bound transcription factor CREBH in response to ER stress and other metabolic conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alcohols / administration & dosage
  • Animals
  • C-Reactive Protein / genetics*
  • C-Reactive Protein / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / genetics*
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / metabolism
  • Diabetes Complications / genetics
  • Diabetes Complications / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Obesity / genetics
  • Obesity / metabolism
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Receptors, Estrogen / genetics
  • Receptors, Estrogen / metabolism*
  • Transcriptional Activation

Substances

  • Alcohols
  • Creb3l3 protein, mouse
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
  • Esrrg protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • C-Reactive Protein

Grants and funding

This work was supported by National Creative Research Initiatives Grant (20110018305) and Future-based Technology Development Program (BIO Fields), (20100019512) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Korean government (Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.