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Nutritional regulation of transcription

The ability to sense the environmental fluctuations of nutrients is a requisite for living cells. Cells have acquired an intricate system for detecting and responding to changes in nutrient levels and their metabolites. Nutrient sensing transcription factors, such as PPARs, LXRs and ChREBP, play essential roles in regulating fat and sugar metabolism, adipose tissue dynamics, cholesterol transport and disposal, and inflammatory responses.

Nutrients are sensed by their corresponding reseptors. They will then activate the proper response by tuning e.g. glucose, lipid or cholesterol metabolism

About the project

The main objective of this project is to strengthen the molecular understanding of nutrition-induced lifestyle diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and Metabolic syndrom (MetS). Using both in vivo and in vitro approaches we are studying the crosstalk between nutrients, nuclear receptors and other nutrient sensing transcription factors, underlying the transcriptional regulation of metabolism and differentiation.

Ongoing research

  • Regulation of glycolytic and lipogenic genes by complexed LXR and ChREBP.
  • Sugar-induced O-linked GlcNAc modifications of transcription factors.
  • Identification, design and synthesis of novel PPAR agonists of marine origin.
  • Salmon proteins and salmon protein hydrolysates as nutraceuticals with health benefits.

Outcomes/Recent findings

Funding

The University of Oslo, The Research Council of Norway, The Throne-Holst Foundation, and The Norwegian Seafood Research Fund.

Collaborations

  • Trond Vidar Hansen, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry , UiO: Chemical synthesis of PPAR-activating compounds.
  • Ingebrigt Sylte, Dept. of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway: 3D in silico docking of PPAR-agonists.
  • Cathrine Rein Carlson, Inst. for Experimental Medical Research, OUS: Interaction mapping using peptide arrays 

  • Steinar Paulsen, MabCent - SFI, UiT The Arctic University of Norway: HTS for novel nuclear receptor ligands from marine invertebrates.
  • Knut Tomas Dalen, Dept. of Nutrition, UiO: In vivo, ex vivo and in vitro effects of salmon fishmeal.
  • Ola Ween, Møreforsking AS: In vitro digestion of marin proteins and peptides and bioactivity assays.
  • Hilde Nebb, prev. Dept. of Nutrition, UiO: Metabolic regulation and life style diseases.

Published May 28, 2019 8:33 AM - Last modified Mar. 9, 2023 1:36 PM

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Participants

Detailed list of participants