C/EBPβ isoforms and the regulation of metabolism: A fine balance between health and disease

The caloric intake and the composition of the diet controls protein production and functionality in the cell and thereby have direct impact on the health and metabolism of the organism. Aberrant metabolism and increased caloric intake result in metabolic disorders like type II diabetes or obesity. In the past, several factors were identified which respond to and mediate the cellular response to the diet composition and caloric intake in organisms.
In this thesis, we describe C/EBPβ-LIP as an important factor which activity and function is controlled by the diet. C/EBPβ LIP is a DNA-binding protein and reduces the production of DNA encoded RNAs and proteins to alter cellular functions. Mice with reduced levels of C/EBPβ-LIP show a healthier metabolism compared to mice with normal levels of C/EBPβ-LIP; although they eat the same diet. Furthermore, this thesis shows that high levels of C/EBPβ-LIP lead to an activated metabolism in cells which resembles the metabolism of cancer cells.
Taken together, we identified C/EBPβ-LIP as a factor which is controlled by the diet and which alters the processing of the nutrients in the cell. Therefore, we hypothesise that C/EBPβ-LIP is an important mediator of the diet to regulate body functions and a reduction of C/EBPβ-LIP level by pharmaceuticals might help to treat metabolic disorders and cancer.