MTCH2 is a conserved regulator of lipid homeostasis.

Objective: More than one-third of U.S. adults have obesity, causing an alarming increase in obesity-related comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes.

FBXO11 promotes ubiquitination of the Snail family of transcription factors in cancer progression and epidermal development.

The Snail family of transcription factors are core inducers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here we show that the F-box protein FBXO11 recognizes and promotes ubiquitin-mediated degradation of multiple Snail family members including Scratch. The association between FBXO11 and Snai1 in vitro is independent of Snai1 phosphorylation.

Pharmacological inhibition of a microRNA family in nonhuman primates by a seed-targeting 8-mer antimiR.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many aspects of human biology. They target mRNAs for translational repression or degradation through base pairing with 3' untranslated regions, primarily via seed sequences (nucleotides 2 to 8 in the mature miRNA sequence). A number of individual miRNAs and miRNA families share seed sequences and targets, but differ in the sequences outside of the seed.

The NHR-8 nuclear receptor regulates cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis in C. elegans.

Hormone-gated nuclear receptors (NRs) are conserved transcriptional regulators of metabolism, reproduction, and homeostasis. Here we show that C. elegans NHR-8 NR, a homolog of vertebrate liver X and vitamin D receptors, regulates nematode cholesterol balance, fatty acid desaturation, apolipoprotein production, and bile acid metabolism.

A novel 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase that regulates reproductive development and longevity.

Endogenous small molecule metabolites that regulate animal longevity are emerging as a novel means to influence health and life span. In C. elegans, bile acid-like steroids called the dafachronic acids (DAs) regulate developmental timing and longevity through the conserved nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12, a homolog of mammalian sterol-regulated receptors LXR and FXR.

MicroRNAs in metabolism and metabolic disorders.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as key regulators of metabolism. For example, miR-33a and miR-33b have a crucial role in controlling cholesterol and lipid metabolism in concert with their host genes, the sterol-regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors. Other metabolic miRNAs, such as miR-103 and miR-107, regulate insulin and glucose homeostasis, whereas miRNAs such as miR-34a are emerging as key regulators of hepatic lipid homeostasis.

A conserved SREBP-1/phosphatidylcholine feedback circuit regulates lipogenesis in metazoans.

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) activate genes involved in the synthesis and trafficking of cholesterol and other lipids and are critical for maintaining lipid homeostasis. Aberrant SREBP activity, however, can contribute to obesity, fatty liver disease, and insulin resistance, hallmarks of metabolic syndrome. Our studies identify a conserved regulatory circuit in which SREBP-1 controls genes in the one-carbon cycle, which produces the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe).

The Rieske oxygenase DAF-36 functions as a cholesterol 7-desaturase in steroidogenic pathways governing longevity.

Bile acids are cholesterol-derived signaling molecules that regulate mammalian metabolism through sterol-sensing nuclear receptor transcription factors. In C. elegans, bile acid-like steroids called dafachronic acids (DAs) control developmental timing and longevity by activating the nuclear receptor DAF-12.

A bile acid-like steroid modulates Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan through nuclear receptor signaling.

Broad aspects of Caenorhabditis elegans life history, including larval developmental timing, arrest at the dauer diapause, and longevity, are regulated by the nuclear receptor DAF-12. Endogenous DAF-12 ligands are 3-keto bile acid-like steroids, called dafachronic acids, which rescue larval defects of hormone-deficient mutants, such as daf-9/cytochrome P450 and daf-36/Rieske oxygenase, and activate DAF-12. Here we examined the effect of dafachronic acid on pathways controlling lifespan.

Control of Caenorhabditis elegans life history by nuclear receptor signal transduction.

Caenorhabditis elegans diapause, reproductive development, and life span are influenced by the DAF-12 nuclear hormone receptor signaling pathway. Here, we describe how this nuclear receptor integrates environmental and physiologic cues and regulates developmental age, reproduction and aging.

Hormonal control of C. elegans dauer formation and life span by a Rieske-like oxygenase.

C. elegans diapause, gonadal outgrowth, and life span are regulated by a lipophilic hormone, which serves as a ligand to the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12. A key step in hormone production is catalyzed by the CYP450 DAF-9, but the extent of the biosynthetic pathway is unknown.

Identification of ligands for DAF-12 that govern dauer formation and reproduction in C. elegans.

In response to environmental and dietary cues, the C. elegans orphan nuclear receptor, DAF-12, regulates dauer diapause, reproductive development, fat metabolism, and life span. Despite strong evidence for hormonal control, the identification of the DAF-12 ligand has remained elusive.