Characterization of Paralichthys olivaceus peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α gene as a master regulator of flounder lipid metabolism

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that play key roles in lipid and energy homeostasis. Paralichthys olivaceus PPARα (PoPPARα) cDNA was isolated by initial reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using conserved region among fish species and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length of PoPPARα cDNA is 2040-bp long encoding a polypeptide with 505 amino acids and containing a DNA binding domain (C4-type zinc finger) and a ligand-binding domain. PoPPARα was detected from 1 day post-hatch and was highly expressed in the stomach, liver, and intestine of continuously fed flounder, approximately 16 cm in size. PoPPARα mRNA expression was down-regulated in the kidney, stomach, and liver of the 4.5-month-old flounder after a 30 day food-deprivation period. PoPPARα activates the PPAR response element (PPRE)-driven reporter, and treatment with Wy14643, a PPARα agonist, augmented PoPPARα-stimulated peroxisome proliferator response element activity in HINAE and HepG2 cells. PoPPARα activated the expression of fatty acid β-oxidation related genes such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 and inhibited the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein and fatty acid synthase by competitively inhibiting LXR/RXR heterodimer formation. These results suggest that PoPPARα plays an important role in lipid metabolism of olive flounder and that it is functionally and evolutionarily conserved in olive flounder and mammals.

► The full-length olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) PPARα (PoPPARα) cDNA was firstly cloned.
► PoPPARα gene expression is regulated by nutrient condition in tissue-specific manner.
► PoPPARα increases the expression of fish fatty acid β-oxidation related genes.
► PoPPARα reduces the expression of transcription factor SREBP and fatty acid synthase.