| First Author | Suzuki A | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Development | Volume | 146 |
| Issue | 20 | PubMed ID | 31558435 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:284121 | Mgi Id | MGI:6389621 |
| Doi | 10.1242/dev.178335 | Citation | Suzuki A, et al. (2019) Cholesterol metabolism plays a crucial role in the regulation of autophagy for cell differentiation of granular convoluted tubules in male mouse submandibular glands. Development 146(20):dev178335 |
| abstractText | It has been long appreciated that sex hormone receptors are expressed in various non-gonadal organs. However, it remains unclear how sex hormones regulate the morphogenesis of these non-gonadal organs. To address this issue, we used a male mouse model of androgen-dependent salivary gland morphogenesis. Mice with excessive cholesterol synthesis in the salivary glands exhibited defects in the maturation of granular convoluted tubules (GCTs), which is regulated through sex hormone-dependent cascades. We found that excessive cholesterol synthesis resulted in autophagy failure specifically in the duct cells of salivary glands, followed by the accumulation of NRF2, a transcription factor known as one of the specific substrates for autophagy. The accumulated NRF2 suppressed the expression of Foxa1, which forms a transcriptional complex with the androgen receptor to regulate target genes. Taken together, our results indicate that cholesterol metabolism plays a crucial role in GCT differentiation through autophagy. |
