Publications by authors named "Kenjiro Inagaki"

During fasting, induction of hepatic gluconeogenesis is crucial to ensure proper energy homeostasis. Such induction is dysregulated in type 2 diabetes, resulting in the development of fasting hyperglycemia. Hormonal and nutrient regulation of metabolic adaptation during fasting is mediated predominantly by the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferative activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) in concert with various other transcriptional regulators.

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Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15), a member of the Krüppel-like factor family of transcription factors, has been found to play diverse roles in adipocytes in vitro. However, little is known of the function of KLF15 in adipocytes in vivo. We have now found that the expression of KLF15 in adipose tissue is down-regulated in obese mice, and we therefore generated adipose tissue-specific KLF15 transgenic (aP2-KLF15 Tg) mice to investigate the possible contribution of KLF15 to various pathological conditions associated with obesity in vivo.

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Physical exercise ameliorates metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, but the molecular basis of these effects remains elusive. In the present study, we found that exercise up-regulates heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) in skeletal muscle. To address the metabolic consequences of such gain of HB-EGF function, we generated mice that overexpress this protein specifically in muscle.

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The transcriptional regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) controls mitochondrial biogenesis and energy homeostasis. Although physical exercise induces PGC-1alpha expression in muscle, the underlying mechanism of this effect has remained incompletely understood. We recently identified a novel muscle-enriched isoform of PGC-1alpha transcript (designated PGC-1alpha-b) that is derived from a previously unidentified first exon.

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In patients with various catabolic conditions, glucocorticoid excess induces skeletal muscle wasting by accelerating protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Although the transcriptional coactivator p300 has been implicated in this pathological process, regulatory mechanisms and molecular targets of its action remain unclear. Here we show that CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300-interacting transactivator with ED-rich tail 2 (Cited2), which binds to the cysteine-histidine-rich region 1 of p300 and CBP, regulates muscle mass in vitro.

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Context: IGF-I/IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) signaling pathways play important roles in longitudinal growth. A novel Arg481Glu (R481Q) mutation in IGF-IR was detected in a family with intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation.

Objective: The objective of the study was to explore the mechanism whereby the R481Q mutation may be causative in growth retardation.

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Misfolding of proteins during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress results in the formation of cytotoxic aggregates. The ER-associated degradation pathway counteracts such aggregation through the elimination of misfolded proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We now show that SHP substrate-1 (SHPS-1), a transmembrane glycoprotein that regulates cytoskeletal reorganization and cell-cell communication, is a physiological substrate for the Skp1-Cullin1-NFB42-Rbx1 (SCF(NFB42)) E3 ubiquitin ligase, a proposed mediator of ER-associated degradation.

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SAP-1 (stomach cancer-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase-1) is a transmembrane-type protein tyrosine phosphatase that has been implicated as a negative regulator of integrin-mediated signaling. The potential role of this enzyme in hepatocarcinogenesis has now been investigated by examining its expression in 32 surgically excised human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens. Both immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses revealed that normal liver tissue, as well as tissue affected by chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, contained substantial amounts of SAP-1.

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SHPS-1 is a receptor-type glycoprotein that binds and activates the protein-tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2, and thereby negatively modulates intracellular signaling initiated by various cell surface receptors coupled to tyrosine kinases. SHPS-1 also regulates intercellular communication in the neural and immune systems through its association with CD47 (integrin-associated protein) on adjacent cells. Furthermore, recent studies with fibroblasts derived from mice expressing an SHPS-1 mutant that lacks most of the cytoplasmic region suggested that the intact protein contributes to cytoskeletal function.

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Stomach cancer-associated protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1 (SAP-1), a transmembrane-type protein-tyrosine phosphatase, is thought to inhibit integrin signaling by mediating the dephosphorylation of focal adhesion-associated proteins. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of wild-type SAP-1, but not that of a catalytically inactive mutant of this enzyme, has now been shown to induce apoptosis in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. This effect of SAP-1 was dependent on cellular caspase activities and was preceded by inactivation of two serine-threonine protein kinases, Akt and integrin-linked kinase (ILK), both of which function downstream of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase to promote cell survival.

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