The nuclear receptor CAR (NR1I3) regulates serum triglyceride levels under conditions of metabolic stress.

This paper shows the involvement of the nuclear receptor CAR (NR1I3) in the regulation of serum triglyceride levels and describes the potential interaction/interference of CAR with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) activation.

In recent years, there has been an expanding knowledge on the involvement of nuclear receptors in the regulation of lipid metabolism. A major role in lipid handling is subscribed to the family of PPARs, which are nuclear receptors activated by fatty acids. However, it is becoming also more clear that these PPARs are not acting alone and co-activation or co-repression by other transcription factors or nuclear receptors is an important mechanism for regulation of lipid metabolism-related processes. This work provides further insight into these regulatory molecular mechanisms by describing the potential interaction of CAR with PPARalpha activation. The use of CAR-null mice and the pharmacological CAR-specific induction studies in this paper also provide valuable leads for further research on the potential role of CAR in lipid metabolism, which is also proposed in previous papers {1,2}. Furthermore, the newly proposed role of CAR in regulation of serum triglyceride levels might shed a new light on its potential involvement in the development of metabolic syndrome, which is a worldwide increasing health problem.

References: {1} Roth et al. Mol Pharmacol 2008, 73:1282-9 [PMID:18187584]. {2} Roth et al. Pharmacogenet Genomics 2008, 18:325-37 [PMID:18334917].