Nuclear receptor-mediated regulation of lipid droplet-associated protein gene expression in adipose tissue

In adipose tissues, nuclear receptors (NRs) have important metabolic actions on cellular lipid-storing capacity through targeted gene regulation. Lipid droplets (LDs) are the organelles for intracellular triacylglycerol (TAG) storage and are present in all eukaryotic cells. They are small in most cells, but in white adipocytes, they can occupy 90% of the cytoplasm. LDs consist of a TAG core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer and an array of associated proteins that determine size, stability, inter-droplet interaction, and lipid storage capacity. The genes that encode these proteins are more highly expressed in brown compared with white fat, correlating with the greater LD surface area in multilocular brown adipocytes. Gene expression profiling reveals that most NRs are present in adipose tissues, with some showing greater expression in brown compared with white fat, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α, estrogen-related receptor α, and NURR1. NR signaling is important for the regulated expression of most genes that encode LD-associated proteins. For example, estradiol signals via estrogen receptor α to regulate the levels of PLIN1 and the lipase ATGL controlling LD size and total lipid accumulation. PPARγ is essential for adipocyte differentiation and function, and analysis of data obtained through chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing shows that it binds to the promoters of many genes encoding LD proteins in adipocytes. Of these genes, the greatest PPARγ binding was to regulatory regions for Plin1, Cidec, and G0s2. NRs represent an important target for controlling LD dynamics in diseases affected by altered fat storage encompassing obesity and lipodystrophy, which are an increasing health problem.