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Hormonal regulation of gluconeogenic gene transcription in the liver

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Abstract

Glucose homeostasis in mammals is achieved by the actions of counterregulatory hormones, namely insulin, glucagon and glucocorticoids. Glucose levels in the circulation are regulated by the liver, the metabolic centre which produces glucose when it is scarce in the blood. This process is catalysed by two rate-limiting enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) whose gene expression is regulated by hormones. Hormone response units (HRUs) present in the two genes integrate signals from various signalling pathways triggered by hormones. How such domains are arranged in the regulatory region of these two genes, how this complex regulation is accomplished and the latest advancements in the field are discussed in this review.

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Abbreviations

AF:

accessory factor element

C/EBP:

CAAT-enhancer binding protein

cAMP:

cyclic AMP

CBP:

CREB-binding protein

CEBPβ :

CAAT-enhancer binding protein β

COUP-TF:

chicken ovalbumin upstream transcription factor

CRE:

cyclic AMP response element

CREB:

cyclic AMP response element binding protein

dAF:

distant accessory factor element

G6Pase:

glucose-6-phosphatase

GRE:

glucocorticoid response element

GR-G:

glucocorticoid receptor — glucocorticoid

HNF-1:

hepatic nuclear factor 1

HNF-3 β :

hepatic nuclear factor 3β

HNF-4α :

hepatic nuclear factor 4α

HRU:

hormone response unit

NF-1:

nuclear factor 1

PEPCK:

phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

PGC-1α :

peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor —γ coactivator-1α

PPARα :

peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α

RARE:

retinoic acid response element

RAR-RXR:

retinoic acid receptor-retinoid receptor

SRE:

SREBP response element

SREBP:

sterol response element-binding protein

TORC2:

transducer of regulated CREB activity 2

TRE:

thyroid response element

TR-T3:

thyroid receptor-thyroid hormone

TSS:

transcription start site

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  1. Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Tuljaguda complex, Nampally, Hyderabad, 500 001, India

    Nirmala Yabaluri & Murali D. Bashyam

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  1. Nirmala Yabaluri
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Correspondence to Nirmala Yabaluri or Murali D. Bashyam.

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Yabaluri, N., Bashyam, M.D. Hormonal regulation of gluconeogenic gene transcription in the liver. J Biosci 35, 473–484 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-010-0052-0

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