PUBLICATION

Whole-organism screening for gluconeogenesis identifies activators of fasting metabolism

Authors
Gut, P., Baeza-Raja, B., Andersson, O., Hasenkamp, L., Hsiao, J., Hesselson, D., Akassoglou, K., Verdin, E., Hirschey, M.D., and Stainier, D.Y.
ID
ZDB-PUB-121206-30
Date
2013
Source
Nature Chemical Biology   9(2): 97-104 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Gut, Philipp, Hasenkamp, Laura, Hesselson, Daniel, Stainier, Didier
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Benzodiazepinones/pharmacology
  • Drug Design
  • Fasting/metabolism
  • Food Deprivation*
  • Gluconeogenesis
  • Glucose/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism
  • Isoquinolines/pharmacology
  • Ligands
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Obese
  • Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP)/metabolism
  • Protein Transport
  • Transgenes
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
23201900 Full text @ Nat. Chem. Biol.
Abstract

Improving the control of energy homeostasis can lower cardiovascular risk in metabolically compromised individuals. To identify new regulators of whole-body energy control, we conducted a high-throughput screen in transgenic reporter zebrafish for small molecules that modulate the expression of the fasting-inducible gluconeogenic gene pck1. We show that this in vivo strategy identified several drugs that affect gluconeogenesis in humans as well as metabolically uncharacterized compounds. Most notably, we find that the translocator protein ligands PK 11195 and Ro5-4864 are glucose-lowering agents despite a strong inductive effect on pck1 expression. We show that these drugs are activators of a fasting-like energy state and, notably, that they protect high-fat diet–induced obese mice from hepatosteatosis and glucose intolerance, two pathological manifestations of metabolic dysregulation. Thus, using a whole-organism screening strategy, this study has identified new small-molecule activators of fasting metabolism.

Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping