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Adipose tissue reduction in mice lacking the translational inhibitor 4E-BP1

Abstract

All nuclear-encoded mRNAs contain a 5′ cap structure (m7GpppN, where N is any nucleotide), which is recognized by the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) subunit of the eIF4F complex. The eIF4E-binding proteins constitute a family of three polypeptides that reversibly repress cap-dependent translation by binding to eIF4E, thus preventing the formation of the eIF4F complex. We investigated the biological function of 4E-BP1 by disrupting its gene (Eif4ebp1) in the mouse. Eif4ebp1−/− mice manifest markedly smaller white fat pads than wild-type animals, and knockout males display an increase in metabolic rate. The males' white adipose tissue contains cells that exhibit the distinctive multilocular appearance of brown adipocytes, and expresses the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a specific marker of brown fat. Consistent with these observations, translation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator 1 (PGC1), a transcriptional co-activator implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis and adaptive thermogenesis, is increased in white adipose tissue of Eif4ebp1−/− mice. These findings demonstrate that 4E-BP1 is a novel regulator of adipogenesis and metabolism in mammals.

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Figure 1: Targeted disruption of Eif4ebp1.
Figure 2: Hallmarks of brown adipocytes are present in the WAT of Eif4ebp1−/− mice.
Figure 3: PGC1 translation is induced in Eif4ebp1−/− mice.
Figure 4: eIF4E phosphorylation is increased in Eif4ebp1−/− mouse embryo fibroblasts.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C.-C. Chan for the Oxymax chamber; C. Lister, J. Penney, C. Binda and F. Vozy for excellent technical assistance; and R. Johnstone, B. Raught, N. Chrétien, M. Miron, P. Cho and D. Lubell for helpful discussions. This work was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) to M.L.T and N.S., a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to N.S. and a Grant in Aid for Specially Promoted Research on Viral Disease from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan to K.T.-K. and M.K. F.P., A.-C.G. and A.C. were supported by the CIHR.

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Correspondence to Nahum Sonenberg.

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Tsukiyama-Kohara, K., Poulin, F., Kohara, M. et al. Adipose tissue reduction in mice lacking the translational inhibitor 4E-BP1. Nat Med 7, 1128–1132 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1001-1128

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