Article Abstract:
The nuclear oxysterol receptor LXRalpha is necessary in the catabolism of dietary cholesterol. A study on the mice lacking the LXRalpha gene revealed that these mice cannot regulate the catabolism of dietary cholesterol in the liver which in turn leads to rapid accumulation of hepatic cholesteryl esters. The rapid accumulation may have altered the bile acid metabolism which resulted to the liver failure. These findings regarding the role of LXRalpha gene on cholesterol homeostasis yield important implications.
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Article Abstract:
The monarch butterfly migration provides biologists with a unique model system to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying a sophisticated circadian clock and its involvement in two unconventional outputs, the induction of the migratory state and navigation over long distances using the sun as a compass. To fully understand how a circadian clock controls vital migratory activities in the butterfly, it is essential to understand the molecular machinery that runs the circadian clock itself.
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Article Abstract:
A detailed analysis of the circadian expression of nuclear receptors (NRs) in liver, skeletal muscle, white adipose tissue (WAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT), all which represent the major peripheral sites that integrate energy flux to meet the physiological needs of the body is presented. The study findings suggest that the nuclear receptor superfamily comprises a wealth of clock-controlled genes that relay temporal and nutritional cues to control metabolic physiology.
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