iScience (Aug 2022)

NFIA determines the cis-effect of genetic variation on Ucp1 expression in murinethermogenic adipocytes

  • Yuta Hiraike,
  • Shuichi Tsutsumi,
  • Takahito Wada,
  • Misato Oguchi,
  • Kaede Saito,
  • Masahiro Nakamura,
  • Satoshi Ota,
  • Michinori Koebis,
  • Harumi Nakao,
  • Atsu Aiba,
  • Gaku Nagano,
  • Haruya Ohno,
  • Kenji Oki,
  • Masayasu Yoneda,
  • Takashi Kadowaki,
  • Hiroyuki Aburatani,
  • Hironori Waki,
  • Toshimasa Yamauchi

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 8
p. 104729

Abstract

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Summary: Thermogenic brown and beige adipocytes counteract obesity by enhancing energy dissipation via uncoupling protein-1 (Ucp1). However, the effect of genetic variation on these cells, a major source of disease susceptibility, has been less well studied. Here we examined beige adipocytes from obesity-prone C57BL/6J (B6) and obesity-resistant 129X1/SvJ (129) mouse strains and identified a cis-regulatory variant rs47238345 that is responsible for differential Ucp1 expression. The alternative T allele of rs47238345 at the Ucp1 -12kb enhancer in 129 facilitates the allele-specific binding of nuclear factor I-A (NFIA) to mediate allele-specific enhancer-promoter interaction and Ucp1 transcription. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9/Cpf1-mediated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) editing of rs47238345 resulted in increased Ucp1 expression. We also identified Lim homeobox protein 8 (Lhx8), whose expression is higher in 129 than in B6, as a trans-acting regulator of Ucp1 in mice and humans. These results demonstrate the cis- and trans-acting effects of genetic variation on Ucp1 expression that underlie phenotypic diversity.

Keywords