A Feed-Forward Circuit of Endogenous PGC-1α and Estrogen Related Receptor α Regulates the Neuronal Electron Transport Chain

Figure 1

Endogenous PGC-1α regulates the nuclear-encoded electron transport chain genes in neuronal cells and in mice. (a) Silencing of endogenous PGC-1α repressed the expression of nuclear-encoded electron transport chain genes representing complexes I, II, III, IV, and V of the electron transport chain in SK-N-MC cells by quantitative PCR analysis (note log₂ scale). Model circuit and observed effects in circuit components are shown (top). Subunits of complexes I to V of the electron transport chain are color-coded in panels (a)–(c) in accordance with the color legend shown in (b). Means ± SEM are shown ( for each treatment). The ribosomal gene RPL13 was used to control for input RNA. (b) Expression of representative electron transport chain genes was similarly reduced in brain of PGC-1α null mice [21] compared to age- and sex-matched wild-type littermates (). The ribosomal gene RPL13 was used to control for input RNA. (c) Transduction with adenovirus carrying PGC-1α trans-activated the expression of endogenous genes encoding nuclear subunits of complexes I, II, IV, and V of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in SK-N-MC cells compared controls transduced with the LacZ gene. Model circuit and observed effects in circuit components are shown (top).

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