Regulation of lipin-1 gene expression by glucocorticoids during adipogenesis

Lipin-1 deficiency in the mouse causes generalized lipodystrophy, characterized by impaired adipose tissue development and insulin resistance. Lipin-1 expression in differentiating preadipocytes is required for normal expression of adipogenic transcription factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, and for the synthesis of triacylglycerol. The requirement of lipin-1 for adipocyte differentiation can be explained, in part, by its activity as the sole adipocyte phosphatidic acid phosphatase-1 enzyme, which converts phosphatidate to diacylglycerol, the immediate precursor of triacylglycerol. Here we identify glucocorticoids as the stimulus for the induction of lipin-1 expression in differentiating adipocytes, and characterize a glucocorticoid response element (GRE) in the Lpin1 promoter. The Lpin1 GRE binds to the glucocorticoid receptor and leads to transcriptional activation in adipocytes and hepatocytes, as demonstrated by reporter gene transcription, electrophoretic mobility shift, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. This represents the first gene regulatory element identified to directly influence lipin-1 expression levels, and may modulate lipin-1 mRNA levels in adipose tissue and liver in conditions associated with increased local glucocorticoid concentrations in vivo, such as obesity and fasting.