Developmental and tissue-specific involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha in the control of mouse uncoupling protein-3 gene expression.

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) is a member of the mitochondrial carrier family expressed preferentially in skeletal muscle and heart. It appears to be involved in metabolic handling of fatty acids in a way that minimizes excessive production of reactive oxygen species. Fatty acids are powerful regulators of UCP3 gene transcription. We have found that the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha) on the control of UCP3 gene expression depends on the tissue and developmental stage. In adults, UCP3 mRNA expression is unaltered in skeletal muscle from PPARalpha-null mice both in basal conditions and under the stimulus of starvation. In contrast, UCP3 mRNA is down-regulated in adult heart both in fed and fasted PPARalpha-null mice. This occurs despite the increased levels of free fatty acids caused by fasting in PPARalpha-null mice. In neonates, PPARalpha-null mice show impaired UCP3 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle in response to milk intake, and this is not a result of reduced free fatty acid levels. The murine UCP3 promoter is activated by fatty acids through either PPARalpha or PPARdelta but not by PPARgamma or retinoid X receptor alone. PPARdelta-dependent activation could be a potential compensatory mechanism to ensure appropriate expression of UCP3 gene in adult skeletal muscle in the absence of PPARalpha. However, among transcripts from other PPARalpha and PPARdelta target genes, only those acutely induced by milk intake in wild-type neonates were altered in muscle or heart from PPARalpha-null neonates. Thus, PPARalpha-dependent regulation is required for appropriate gene regulation of UCP3 as part of the subset of fatty-acid-responsive genes in neonatal muscle and heart.

Thyroid hormones directly activate the expression of the human and mouse uncoupling protein-3 genes through a thyroid response element in the proximal promoter region.

The transcription of the human UCP3 (uncoupling protein-3) gene in skeletal muscle is tightly regulated by metabolic signals related to fatty acid availability. However, changes in thyroid status also modulate UCP3 gene expression, albeit by unknown mechanisms. We created transgenic mice bearing the entire human UCP3 gene to investigate the effect of thyroid hormones on human UCP3 gene expression. Treatment of human UCP3 transgenic mice with thyroid hormones induced the expression of the human gene in skeletal muscle. In addition, transient transfection experiments demonstrate that thyroid hormones activate the transcription of the human UCP3 gene promoter when MyoD and the TR (thyroid hormone receptor) were co-transfected. The action of thyroid hormones on UCP3 gene transcription is mediated by the binding of the TR to a proximal region in the UCP3 gene promoter that contains a direct repeat structure. An intact DNA sequence of this site is required for thyroid hormone responsiveness and TR binding. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that the TR binds this element in vivo. The murine Ucp3 gene promoter was also dependent on MyoD and responsive to thyroid hormone in transient transfection assays. However, it was much less sensitive to thyroid hormone than the human UCP3 promoter. In summary, UCP3 gene transcription is activated by thyroid hormone treatment in vivo, and this activation is mediated by a TRE (thyroid hormone response element) in the proximal promoter region. Such regulation suggests a link between UCP3 gene expression and the effects of thyroid hormone on mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle.

Functional relationship between MyoD and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-dependent regulatory pathways in the control of the human uncoupling protein-3 gene transcription.

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) gene is a member of the mitochondrial carrier superfamily preferentially expressed in skeletal muscle and up-regulated by fatty acids. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha and PPARdelta (also known as PPARbeta) mediate human UCP3 gene regulation by fatty acids through a direct-repeat (DR-1) element in the promoter. DR-1 mutation renders UCP3 promoter unresponsive to PPAR ligand in vitro and consistently blocks gene induction by fatty acids in vivo. Although they act through separate sites in the promoter, MyoD and PPAR-dependent regulatory pathways are functionally connected: only in the presence of MyoD, does UCP3 become sensitive to PPAR ligand-dependent regulation. MyoD controls UCP3 promoter activity through a noncanonical Ebox site located in the proximal region, close to transcription initiation site. Moreover, acetylation processes play a crucial role in the control of UCP3 gene regulation. The coactivator p300 protein enhances PPAR ligand-mediated regulation whereas a mutant form devoid of histone acetylase activity blocks the response of the promoter to fatty acids. Conversely, histone deacetylase-1 blunts MyoD-dependent expression of the UCP3 promoter and reduces PPAR-dependent responsiveness. A mutated form of MyoD unable to be acetylated has a lower transactivation capacity on the human UCP3 promoter with respect to wild-type MyoD. It is concluded that MyoD and PPAR-dependent pathways mediate human UCP3 gene regulation and that acetylase activity elicited by coregulators is implicated in the functional interaction between these regulatory pathways. Therefore the convergence of MyoD and PPAR-dependent pathways provides a molecular mechanism for skeletal muscle specificity and fatty acid regulation of human UCP3 gene.

SIRT1 is involved in glucocorticoid-mediated control of uncoupling protein-3 gene transcription.

UCP3 (uncoupling protein-3) is a mitochondrial membrane transporter expressed preferentially in skeletal muscle. UCP3 lowers mitochondrial membrane potential and protects muscle cells against an overload of fatty acids, and it probably reduces excessive production of reactive oxygen species. Accordingly, ucp3 gene transcription is highly sensitive to fatty acid-dependent stimulation and also to other unrelated stress signals. In this study, glucocorticoids are identified as major inducers of ucp3 gene transcription in muscle. Glucocorticoids activate the transcription of the ucp3 gene through a glucocorticoid receptor-binding site in the promoter region. Glucocorticoids are capable of inducing ucp3 gene transcription independently from the myogenic regulatory factor MyoD, in contrast with the transcriptional activation of the ucp3 gene through other nuclear hormone receptors. An interplay of regulatory factors modulates positively (p300) or negatively (histone deacetylases) the action of glucocorticoids on ucp3 gene transcription via histone acetylation or deacetylation processes, respectively. Among them, SIRT1 acts as a major repressor of ucp3 gene expression in response to glucocorticoids. The action of SIRT1 requires its deacetylase activity and results in histone deacetylation in the ucp3 promoter. Moreover, it involves a specific impairment of association of p300 with the glucocorticoid receptor. Agents activating SIRT1, such as resveratrol, repress ucp3 gene expression. The control of SIRT1 activity via the metabolic redox status of the cell points to a novel regulatory pathway of ucp3 gene transcription in response to metabolic and stress signaling in muscle cells.

Uncoupling protein-3 sensitizes cells to mitochondrial-dependent stimulus of apoptosis.

The mitochondrial uncoupling protein-3 is a member of the mitochondrial carrier protein family. As a homologue of the thermogenic brown fat uncoupling protein-1, it possesses a mitochondrial uncoupling activity and thus can influence cell energy metabolism but its exact biological function remains unclear. In the present study, uncoupling protein-3 was expressed in 293 cells using the tetracycline-inducible system and its impact on cell bioenergetics and responsiveness to the apoptotic stimulus was determined. The induction of uncoupling protein-3 expression in mitochondria did not lead to uncontrolled respiratory uncoupling in intact cells. However, it caused a GDP-inhibition of state 4 respiration and a GDP-induced re-polarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane in the presence of fatty acids, in agreement with its expected physiological behavior as an uncoupling protein (UCP). Uncoupling protein-3 expression did not cause apoptosis per se but increased the responsiveness of the cells to a mitochondrial apoptotic stimulus (i.e., addition of staurosporine in the culture medium). It enhanced caspase 3 and caspase 9 activation and favored cytochrome c release. Moreover, cells in which uncoupling protein-3 expression had been induced showed a higher mitochondrial Bax/Bcl-2 ratio essentially due to enhanced translocation of Bax from cytosol to mitochondria. Finally, the induction of uncoupling protein-3 also increased the sensitivity of mitochondria to open the permeability transition pore in response to calcium. It is concluded that the presence of uncoupling protein-3 in mitochondria sensitizes cells to apoptotic stimuli involving mitochondrial pathways.