Abstract
not
available |
The
essence of energy homeostasis is the ability to sense the amounts of circulating
nutrients and to adjust metabolic pathways in order to maintain tightly
controlled nutrient levels. A vast array of hormones and nutrients impinge
on metabolic networks, with the end result being homeostasis.
Although numerous studies have deciphered how glucose and other nutrients
can directly trigger a metabolic response such as insulin secretion or
lipogenic gene expression, little is known about how this is accomplished
mechanistically.
Reporting in Nature, Mitro
et al. now fill a major gap in our understanding of how glucose is
sensed in cells and controls energy metabolism. They show that glucose,
the most basic and common energy molecule, is an endogenous ligand and
direct activator of the nuclear hormone receptor LXR-known for sensing
intermediates in cholesterol metabolism, the oxysterols, and for controlling
cholesterol omeostasis.
Their study shows how glucose and lipids are sensed through the same protein
in order to control the expression of genes linked to nutrient homeostasis
(Fig). This finding has extraordinary implications for understanding the
body’s ability to maintain energy balance. [...]
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