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Article

  • The EMBO Journal (2008) 27, 1481 - 1490
  • doi:10.1038/emboj.2008.76

Published online: 17 April 2008

Hzf regulates adipogenesis through translational control of C/EBPalpha

Hiroyuki Kawagishi1,a, Takeshi Wakoh1,a, Hatsume Uno2, Mitsuo Maruyama1, Ayako Moriya3, Satoru Morikawa3,4, Hideyuki Okano3, Charles J Sherr5,6, Masatoshi Takagi2 and Masataka Sugimoto1

  1. Department of Mechanism of Aging, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Aichi, Japan
  2. Department of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
  3. Departmeny of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  4. Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  5. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
  6. Department of Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

Correspondence to:

Masataka Sugimoto, Department of Mechanism of Aging, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, 36-3 Gengo, Morioka-cho, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan. Tel.: +1 81 562 44 5651 5055; Fax: +1 81 562 46 8461; E-mail: msugimot@nils.go.jp

aThese authors contributed equally to this work

Received 19 September 2007; Accepted 26 March 2008

Adipocyte differentiation requires a well-defined programme of gene expression in which the transcription factor C/EBPalpha (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein) has a central function. Here, we show that Hzf (haematopoietic zinc-finger), a previously identified p53 transcriptional target, regulates C/EBPalpha expression. Hzf is induced during differentiation of preadipocyte cell lines, and its suppression by short hairpin RNA disrupts adipogenesis. In Hzf's absence, expression of C/EBPalpha is severely impaired because of reduced translation of its mRNA. Hzf physically interacts with the 3' untranslated region of C/EBPalpha mRNA to enhance its translation. Taken together, these findings underscore a critical role of Hzf in the adipogenesis regulatory cascade.

  • Keywords:

    • adipocyte,
    • C/EBPalpha,
    • Hzf,
    • translation