Non-invasive Optical Biomarkers Distinguish and Track the Metabolic Status of Single Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Metabolism is a key regulator of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions. There is a lack of real-time, non-invasive approaches to evaluate metabolism in single HSCs. Using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, we developed a set of metabolic optical biomarkers (MOBs) from the auto-fluorescent properties of metabolic coenzymes NAD(P)H and FAD.

mTORC1 Activation during Repeated Regeneration Impairs Somatic Stem Cell Maintenance.

The balance between self-renewal and differentiation ensures long-term maintenance of stem cell (SC) pools in regenerating epithelial tissues. This balance is challenged during periods of high regenerative pressure and is often compromised in aged animals. Here, we show that target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling is a key regulator of SC loss during repeated regenerative episodes.

HGFA Is an Injury-Regulated Systemic Factor that Induces the Transition of Stem Cells into G.

The activation of quiescent stem cells into the cell cycle is a key step in initiating the process of tissue repair. We recently reported that quiescent stem cells can transition into G, a cellular state in which they have an increased functional ability to activate and participate in tissue repair. However, the precise molecular signals that induce G in stem cells have remained elusive.

Deteriorating Infrastructure in the Aged Muscle Stem Cell Niche.

Following an injury, the extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes dramatic remodeling to facilitate tissue repair. In a new study, Lukjanenko and colleagues show how an age-associated change in this process affects the regenerative ability of muscle stem cells (MuSCs).

mTORC1 controls the adaptive transition of quiescent stem cells from G0 to G(Alert).

A unique property of many adult stem cells is their ability to exist in a non-cycling, quiescent state. Although quiescence serves an essential role in preserving stem cell function until the stem cell is needed in tissue homeostasis or repair, defects in quiescence can lead to an impairment in tissue function. The extent to which stem cells can regulate quiescence is unknown.

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase knockdown protects against diet-induced obesity.

In obesity and type 2 diabetes, Glut4 glucose transporter expression is decreased selectively in adipocytes. Adipose-specific knockout or overexpression of Glut4 alters systemic insulin sensitivity. Here we show, using DNA array analyses, that nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (Nnmt) is the most strongly reciprocally regulated gene when comparing gene expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) from adipose-specific Glut4-knockout or adipose-specific Glut4-overexpressing mice with their respective controls.

USP7 attenuates hepatic gluconeogenesis through modulation of FoxO1 gene promoter occupancy.

Hepatic forkhead protein FoxO1 is a key component of systemic glucose homeostasis via its ability to regulate the transcription of rate-limiting enzymes in gluconeogenesis. Important in the regulation of FoxO1 transcriptional activity are the modifying/demodifying enzymes that lead to posttranslational modification. Here, we demonstrate the functional interaction and regulation of FoxO1 by herpesvirus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7; also known as herpesvirus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease, HAUSP), a deubiquitinating enzyme.

Cdc2-like kinase 2 suppresses hepatic fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis through disruption of the PGC-1α and MED1 complex.

Hepatic ketogenesis plays an important role in catabolism of fatty acids during fasting along with dietary lipid overload, but the mechanisms regulating this process remain poorly understood. Here, we show that Cdc2-like kinase 2 (Clk2) suppresses fatty acid oxidation and ketone body production during diet-induced obesity. In lean mice, hepatic Clk2 protein is very low during fasting and strongly increased during feeding; however, in diet-induced obese mice, Clk2 protein remains elevated through both fed and fasted states.

Sprouting a new take on stem cell aging.

Nature advance online publication September 26 2012; doi:; DOI: 10.1038/nature11438 Age associated changes in stem cell function are widely implicated as having a causal role to the declines in tissue function, homeostasis and regenerative ability that accompany aging. However, the signals and mechanisms that lead to altered stem cell functionality in aging are unclear.

Clk2 and B56β mediate insulin-regulated assembly of the PP2A phosphatase holoenzyme complex on Akt.

Akt mediates important cellular decisions involved in growth, survival, and metabolism. The mechanisms by which Akt is phosphorylated and activated in response to growth factors or insulin have been extensively studied, but the molecular regulatory components and dynamics of Akt attenuation are poorly understood. Here we show that a downstream target of insulin-induced Akt activation, Clk2, triggers Akt dephosphorylation through the PP2A phosphatase complex.

Conserved role of SIRT1 orthologs in fasting-dependent inhibition of the lipid/cholesterol regulator SREBP.

The sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factor family is a critical regulator of lipid and sterol homeostasis in eukaryotes. In mammals, SREBPs are highly active in the fed state to promote the expression of lipogenic and cholesterogenic genes and facilitate fat storage. During fasting, SREBP-dependent lipid/cholesterol synthesis is rapidly diminished in the mouse liver; however, the mechanism has remained incompletely understood.

Cdc2-like kinase 2 is an insulin-regulated suppressor of hepatic gluconeogenesis.

Dynamic regulation of insulin signaling and metabolic gene expression is critical to nutrient homeostasis; dysregulation of these pathways is widely implicated in insulin resistance and other disease states. Though the metabolic effects of insulin are well established, the components linking insulin signal transduction to a metabolic response are not as well understood. Here, we show that Cdc2-like kinase 2 (Clk2) is an insulin-regulated suppressor of hepatic gluconeogenesis and glucose output.

Foxo1 integrates insulin signaling with mitochondrial function in the liver.

Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease that is marked by the dysfunction of glucose and lipid metabolism. Hepatic insulin resistance is especially pathogenic in type 2 diabetes, as it dysregulates fasting and postprandial glucose tolerance and promotes systemic dyslipidemia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is closely associated with insulin resistance and might contribute to the progression of diabetes.

A PGC-1alpha-O-GlcNAc transferase complex regulates FoxO transcription factor activity in response to glucose.

Metabolic and stress response gene regulation is crucial for the survival of an organism to a changing environment. Three key molecules that sense nutrients and broadly affect gene expression are the FoxO transcription factors, the transcriptional co-activator PGC-1alpha, and the dynamic post-translational modification, O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). Here we identify novel post-translational modifications of PGC-1alpha, including O-GlcNAc, and describe a novel mechanism for how PGC-1alpha co-activates transcription by FoxOs.

O-GlcNAc regulates FoxO activation in response to glucose.

FoxO proteins are key transcriptional regulators of nutrient homeostasis and stress response. The transcription factor FoxO1 activates expression of gluconeogenic, including phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase, and also activates the expression of the oxidative stress response enzymes catalase and manganese superoxide dismutase. Hormonal and stress-dependent regulation of FoxO1 via acetylation, ubiquitination, and phosphorylation, are well established, but FoxOs have not been studied in the context of the glucose-derived O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification.

mTOR controls mitochondrial oxidative function through a YY1-PGC-1alpha transcriptional complex.

Transcriptional complexes that contain peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor coactivator (PGC)-1alpha control mitochondrial oxidative function to maintain energy homeostasis in response to nutrient and hormonal signals. An important component in the energy and nutrient pathways is mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a kinase that regulates cell growth, size and survival. However, it is unknown whether and how mTOR controls mitochondrial oxidative activities.

Metabolic adaptations through the PGC-1 alpha and SIRT1 pathways.

Energy homeostasis in mammals is achieved through tight regulation of tissue-specific metabolic pathways that become dysregulated in metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity. At the molecular level, main nutrient and hormonal signaling pathways impinge on expression of genes encoding for metabolic enzymes. Among the major components of this transcriptional circuitry are the PGC-1 alpha transcriptional complexes.

Fasting-dependent glucose and lipid metabolic response through hepatic sirtuin 1.

In the fasted state, induction of hepatic glucose output and fatty acid oxidation is essential to sustain energetic balance. Production and oxidation of glucose and fatty acids by the liver are controlled through a complex network of transcriptional regulators. Among them, the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1alpha plays an important role in hepatic and systemic glucose and lipid metabolism.

SIRT1 deacetylase protects against neurodegeneration in models for Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A progressive loss of neurons with age underlies a variety of debilitating neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet few effective treatments are currently available. The SIR2 gene promotes longevity in a variety of organisms and may underlie the health benefits of caloric restriction, a diet that delays aging and neurodegeneration in mammals. Here, we report that a human homologue of SIR2, SIRT1, is upregulated in mouse models for AD, ALS and in primary neurons challenged with neurotoxic insults.

Metabolic control of muscle mitochondrial function and fatty acid oxidation through SIRT1/PGC-1alpha.

In mammals, maintenance of energy and nutrient homeostasis during food deprivation is accomplished through an increase in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in peripheral tissues. An important component that drives this cellular oxidative process is the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1alpha. Here, we show that fasting induced PGC-1alpha deacetylation in skeletal muscle and that SIRT1 deacetylation of PGC-1alpha is required for activation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation genes.

Hypothalamic malonyl-CoA triggers mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative gene expression in skeletal muscle: Role of PGC-1alpha.

Previous investigations show that intracerebroventricular administration of a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase, C75, increases the level of its substrate, malonyl-CoA, in the hypothalamus. The "malonyl-CoA signal" is rapidly transmitted to skeletal muscle by the sympathetic nervous system, increasing fatty acid oxidation, uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) expression, and thus, energy expenditure. Here, we show that intracerebroventricular or intraperitoneal administration of C75 increases the number of mitochondria in white and red (soleus) skeletal muscle.

GCN5 acetyltransferase complex controls glucose metabolism through transcriptional repression of PGC-1alpha.

Hormonal and nutrient regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis mainly occurs through modulation of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1alpha. The identity of endogenous proteins and their enzymatic activities that regulate the functions and form part of PGC-1alpha complex are unknown. Here, we show that PGC-1alpha is in a multiprotein complex containing the acetyltransferase GCN5.

Neuronal SIRT1 activation as a novel mechanism underlying the prevention of Alzheimer disease amyloid neuropathology by calorie restriction.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+-dependent sirtuins have been identified to be key regulators in the lifespan extending effects of calorie restriction (CR) in a number of species. In this study we report for the first time that promotion of the NAD+-dependent sirtuin, SIRT1-mediated deacetylase activity, may be a mechanism by which CR influences Alzheimer disease (AD)-type amyloid neuropathology. Most importantly, we report that the predicted attenuation of beta-amyloid content in the brain during CR can be reproduced in mouse neurons in vitro by manipulating cellular SIRT1 expression/activity through mechanisms involving the regulation of the serine/threonine Rho kinase ROCK1, known in part for its role in the inhibition of the non-amyloidogenic alpha-secretase processing of the amyloid precursor protein.