Regulatory role for phosphatidylcholine transfer protein/StarD2 in the metabolic response to peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα)

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP, a.k.a. StarD2) is abundantly expressed in liver and is regulated by PPARα. When fed the synthetic PPARα ligand fenofibrate, Pctp−/− mice exhibited altered lipid and glucose metabolism. Microarray profiling of livers from fenofibrate fed wild type and Pctp−/− mice revealed differential expression of a broad array of metabolic genes, as well as their regulatory transcription factors. PC-TP expression in cell culture controlled the activities of both PPARα and HNF4α, suggesting that the mechanism by which it modulates hepatic metabolism is at least in part via activation of transcription factors that govern nutrient homeostasis.