Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Optimized Automated Analysis of Live Neuronal Mitochondria Homeostasis Modulation by Isoform-Specific Retinoic Acid Receptors
Published on: July 28, 2023
Statins, fibrates and retinoic acid upregulate mitochondrial acylcarnitine carrier gene expression
Vito Iacobazzi1, Paolo Convertini, Vittoria Infantino
1Department of Pharmaco-Biology, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Abstract:
In this study, we investigated the effects of statins, fibrates, 9-cis-retinoic acid and forskolin on the transcription of the mitochondrial carnitine/acylcarnitine carrier (CAC) gene. Statins, fibrates, retinoic acid and forskolin activate luciferase gene reporter activity driven by the -334/+3 bp region of the human CAC promoter containing wild-type (but not mutated) PPRE. These four agents also increase CAC transcript and protein levels. The combinations of statins and fibrates, retinoic acid and fibrates and fibrates and forskolin act synergistically. Mevalonate abolishes the activation of CAC gene expression by statins; the inhibitor of the PKA pathway H89 suppresses the stimulation of CAC gene expression by forskolin. Because CAC is essential for fatty acid beta-oxidation, the above results on the regulation of CAC gene expression provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the hypolipidemic action of statins, fibrates and retinoic acid.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
Lipid Catabolism
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Mitochondrial Precursor Proteins
Most of the mitochondrial precursors...