KLF15 Enables Rapid Switching between Lipogenesis and Gluconeogenesis during Fasting

• A transcription factor library screen reveals a complex between KLF15 and LXR/RXR
• KLF15 interacts with LXR/RXR and recruits the RIP140 corepressor to the Srebf1c promoter
• This enables rapid switching between lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis during fasting
• Hepatic KLF15 augmentation improves the plasma lipid profile

SummaryHepatic lipogenesis is nutritionally regulated (i.e., downregulated during fasting and upregulated during the postprandial state) as an adaptation to the nutritional environment. While alterations in the expression level of the transcription factor SREBP-1c are known to be critical for nutritionally regulated lipogenesis, upstream mechanisms governing Srebf1 expression remain unclear. Here, we show that the fasting-induced transcription factor KLF15, a key regulator of gluconeogenesis, forms a complex with LXR/RXR, specifically on the Srebf1 promoter. This complex recruits the corepressor RIP140 instead of the coactivator SRC1, resulting in reduced Srebf1 and thus downstream lipogenic enzyme expression during the early and euglycemic period of fasting prior to hypoglycemia and PKA activation. Through this mechanism, KLF15 overexpression specifically ameliorates hypertriglyceridemia without affecting LXR-mediated cholesterol metabolism. These findings reveal a key molecular link between glucose and lipid metabolism and have therapeutic implications for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.

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