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      The Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster as a Model System to Study Cholesterol Metabolism and Homeostasis

      review-article
      1, 2 , * , 1
      Cholesterol
      Hindawi Publishing Corporation

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          Abstract

          Cholesterol has long been recognized for its versatile roles in influencing the biophysical properties of cell membranes and for serving as a precursor of steroid hormones. While many aspects of cholesterol biosynthesis are well understood, little is currently known about the molecular mechanisms of cholesterol metabolism and homeostasis. Recently, genetic approaches in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, have been successfully used for the analysis of molecular mechanisms that regulate cholesterol metabolism and homeostasis. This paper summarizes the recent studies on genes that regulate cholesterol metabolism and homeostasis, including neverland, Niemann Pick type C(NPC) disease genes, and DHR96.

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          Most cited references47

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          Combined analysis of oligonucleotide microarray data from transgenic and knockout mice identifies direct SREBP target genes.

          The synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, the building blocks of membranes, is regulated by three membrane-bound transcription factors: sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1a, -1c, and -2. Their function in liver has been characterized in transgenic mice that overexpress each SREBP isoform and in mice that lack all three nuclear SREBPs as a result of gene knockout of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP), a protein required for nuclear localization of SREBPs. Here, we use oligonucleotide arrays hybridized with RNA from livers of three lines of mice (transgenic for SREBP-1a, transgenic for SREBP-2, and knockout for SCAP) to identify genes that are likely to be direct targets of SREBPs in liver. A total of 1,003 genes showed statistically significant increased expression in livers of transgenic SREBP-1a mice, 505 increased in livers of transgenic SREBP-2 mice, and 343 showed decreased expression in Scap-/- livers. A subset of 33 genes met the stringent combinatorial criteria of induction in both SREBP transgenics and decreased expression in SCAP-deficient mice. Of these 33 genes, 13 were previously identified as direct targets of SREBP action. Of the remaining 20 genes, 13 encode enzymes or carrier proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism, 3 participate in fatty acid metabolism, and 4 have no known connection to lipid metabolism. Through application of stringent combinatorial criteria, the transgenic/knockout approach allows identification of genes whose activities are likely to be controlled directly by one family of transcription factors, in this case the SREBPs.
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            Overview of steroidogenic enzymes in the pathway from cholesterol to active steroid hormones.

            Significant advances have taken place in our knowledge of the enzymes involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis since the last comprehensive review in 1988. Major developments include the cloning, identification, and characterization of multiple isoforms of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which play a critical role in the biosynthesis of all steroid hormones and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase where specific isoforms are essential for the final step in active steroid hormone biosynthesis. Advances have taken place in our understanding of the unique manner that determines tissue-specific expression of P450aromatase through the utilization of alternative promoters. In recent years, evidence has been obtained for the expression of steroidogenic enzymes in the nervous system and in cardiac tissue, indicating that these tissues may be involved in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones acting in an autocrine or paracrine manner. This review presents a detailed description of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of active steroid hormones, with emphasis on the human and mouse enzymes and their expression in gonads, adrenal glands, and placenta.
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              Niemann-Pick C1 disease gene: homology to mediators of cholesterol homeostasis.

              Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) disease, a fatal neurovisceral disorder, is characterized by lysosomal accumulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol. By positional cloning methods, a gene (NPC1) with insertion, deletion, and missense mutations has been identified in NP-C patients. Transfection of NP-C fibroblasts with wild-type NPC1 cDNA resulted in correction of their excessive lysosomal storage of LDL cholesterol, thereby defining the critical role of NPC1 in regulation of intracellular cholesterol trafficking. The 1278-amino acid NPC1 protein has sequence similarity to the morphogen receptor PATCHED and the putative sterol-sensing regions of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Cholesterol
                CHOL
                Cholesterol
                Hindawi Publishing Corporation
                2090-1283
                2090-1291
                2011
                20 January 2011
                : 2011
                : 176802
                Affiliations
                1Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
                2Initiative for the Promotion of Young Scientists' Independent Research, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
                Author notes

                Academic Editor: Patrizia M. Tarugi

                Article
                10.1155/2011/176802
                3076616
                21512589
                aecf7ed0-6cb2-4def-b7ab-ad432783dbd2
                Copyright © 2011 R. Niwa and Y. S. Niwa.

                This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 15 October 2010
                : 4 January 2011
                Categories
                Review Article

                Cardiovascular Medicine
                Cardiovascular Medicine

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