Transcription Factors ZEB1 and CREB Promote the Transcription of Bovine ABHD 5 Gene

Alpha/beta hydrolase domain 5 (ABHD5) plays a significant role in intracellular lipid metabolism, which is regulated by a complex network of transcription factors. The transcriptional regulation of the ABHD 5 gene in cattle and other livestock, however, has not been previously investigated. Investigations in humans and animal models indicate that the transcription factors zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) may play important roles in the transcriptional regulation of ABHD 5 in cattle. Our comparison of the sequence similarities in the transcription factor binding sites in Bos taurus , Bos indicus , Bos mutus, and Homo sapiens revealed high homology. Based on the data collected by the Cistrome Data Browser and its visualization window, we found that ZEB1 and CREB have significant ChIP-seq enrichments in the 5′-untranslated region (5′ UTR) of the human ABHD 5 gene. In bovine adipocytes, we detected ZEB1 and CREB binding sites in the ABHD 5 gene. Mutations in the ZEB1 and CREB binding sites significantly reduced the promoter activity ( p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated the binding of the transcription factors in vivo and in vitro , respectively. And overexpression or silencing the expression of the ZEB1 and CREB, respectively, resulted in significant changes to the ABHD 5 promoter activity. Collectively, these results indicate that ZEB1 and CREB are important transcription factors that regulate ABHD 5 gene expression in bovine adipocytes. They further our understanding of the transcriptional regulation and biological functions of the bovine ABHD 5 gene.