Epigenetic codes of PPARγ in metabolic disease

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma), a ligand-regulated nuclear hormone receptor, plays critical roles in metabolism and adipogenesis. PPAR gamma ligands such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) exert insulin sensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects primarily through action on adipocytes, and are thus widely used to treat metabolic syndrome, especially type II diabetes. A number of PPAR gamma interacting partners have been identified, many of which are known epigenetic regulators, including enzymes for histone acetylation/deacetylation and histone methylation/demethylation. However, their functional roles in the PPAR gamma transcriptional pathway are not well defined. Recent advances in ChIP-based and deep sequencing technology are revealing previously underappreciated epigenomic mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of this nuclear receptor pathway. (C) 2011 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.