Abstract
The Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway plays a critical role in regulating liver lipid metabolism and related diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that the Hh signalling pathway induces a previously undefined long non-coding RNA (Hilnc, Hedgehog signalling-induced long non-coding RNA), which controls hepatic lipid metabolism. Mutation of the Gli-binding sites in the Hilnc promoter region (HilncBM/BM) decreases the expression of Hilnc in vitro and in vivo. HilncBM/BM and Hilnc-knockout mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis through attenuation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signalling pathway, as Hilnc directly interacts with IGF2BP2 to enhance Pparγ mRNA stability. Furthermore, we identify a potential functional human homologue of Hilnc, h-Hilnc, which has a similar function in regulating cellular lipid metabolism. These findings uncover a critical role of the Hh-Hilnc–IGF2BP2 signalling axis in lipid metabolism and suggest a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of diet-induced hepatic steatosis.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1569-1584 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Nature Metabolism |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2021 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology (medical)
- Internal Medicine
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Cell Biology