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. 2003 Oct 15;375(Pt 2):365–371. doi: 10.1042/BJ20030022

Forkhead transcription factor FOXO1 (FKHR)-dependent induction of PDK4 gene expression in skeletal muscle during energy deprivation.

Tatsuo Furuyama 1, Kazuko Kitayama 1, Hitoshi Yamashita 1, Nozomu Mori 1
PMCID: PMC1223677  PMID: 12820900

Abstract

A forkhead-type transcription factor, DAF-16, is located in the most downstream part of the insulin signalling pathway via PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase). It is essential for the extension of life-span and is also involved in dauer formation induced by food deprivation in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the present study, we addressed whether or not FOXO members AFX, FKHR (forkhead homologue in rhabdomyosarcoma) and FKHRL1 (FKHR-like protein 1), mammalian counterparts of DAF-16, are involved in starvation stress. We found a remarkable selective induction of FKHR and FKHRL1 transcripts in skeletal muscle of mice during starvation. The induction of FKHR gene expression was observed at 6 h after food deprivation, peaked at 12 h, and returned to the basal level by 24 h of refeeding. The induction was also found in skeletal muscle of mice with glucocorticoid treatment. Moreover, we found that the levels of PDK4 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4) gene expression were up-regulated through the direct binding of FKHR to the promoter region of the gene in C2C12 cells. These results suggest that FKHR has an important role in the regulation of energy metabolism, at least in part, through the up-regulation of PDK4 gene expression in skeletal muscle during starvation.

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Selected References

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