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The nuclear receptor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha acts as a morphogen to induce the formation of microvilli

Hideki Chiba1, Naoyuki Sakai, Masaki Murata

  • 1Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan. hidchiba@sapmed.ac.jp

The Journal of Cell Biology
|December 21, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) triggers microvillus formation by inducing ERM-binding phosphoprotein 50 (EBP50) expression. This nuclear receptor acts as a morphogen, initiating microvillus biogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Microvilli are essential actin-based apical structures involved in nutrient absorption and signaling.
  • While proteins like ERM link actin to transmembrane proteins, the signals initiating microvillus biogenesis remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of nuclear receptors in microvillus morphogenesis.
  • To identify signaling pathways involved in the formation of microvilli.

Main Methods:

  • Conditional and ectopic expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha).
  • RNA interference (RNAi) to attenuate ERM-binding phosphoprotein 50 (EBP50) expression.
  • Microscopic analysis of microvillus development.

Main Results:

  • HNF4alpha expression was found to trigger microvillus morphogenesis.
  • HNF4alpha induces the expression of EBP50.
  • Inhibition of EBP50 via RNAi blocked microvillus development.

Conclusions:

  • HNF4alpha acts as a morphogen, initiating microvillus formation.
  • The HNF4alpha-EBP50 axis is crucial for microvillus biogenesis.

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