Interaction between poly(A)–binding protein PABPC4 and nuclear receptor corepressor NCoR1 modulates a metabolic stress response

Mitochondria are organelles known primarily for generating ATP via the oxidative phosphorylation process. Environmental signals are sensed by whole organisms or cells and markedly affect this process, leading to alterations in gene transcription and, consequently, changes in mitochondrial function and biogenesis. The expression of mitochondrial genes is finely regulated by nuclear transcription factors, including nuclear receptors and their coregulators. Among the best-known coregulators is the nuclear receptor corepressor 1 (NCoR1). Muscle-specific knockout of NCoR1 in mice induces an oxidative phenotype, improving glucose and fatty acid metabolism. However, the mechanism by which NCoR1 is regulated remains elusive. In this work, we identified the poly(A)–binding protein 4 (PABPC4) as a new NCoR1 interactor. Unexpectedly, we found that silencing of PABPC4 induced an oxidative phenotype in both C2C12 and MEF cells, as indicated by increased oxygen consumption, mitochondria content, and reduced lactate production. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that PABPC4 silencing increased the ubiquitination and consequent degradation of NCoR1, leading to the derepression of PPAR-regulated genes. As a consequence, cells with PABPC4 silencing had a greater capacity to metabolize lipids, reduced intracellular lipid droplets, and reduced cell death. Interestingly, in conditions known to induce mitochondrial function and biogenesis, both mRNA expression and PABPC4 protein content were markedly reduced. Our study, therefore, suggests that the lowering of PABPC4 expression may represent an adaptive event required to induce mitochondrial activity in response to metabolic stress in skeletal muscle cells. As such, the NCoR1–PABPC4 interface might be a new road to the treatment of metabolic diseases.