CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein beta in relation to ER Stress, Inflammation, and Metabolic Disturbances

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and underlying metabolic disturbances increase rapidly in developed countries. Various molecular targets are currently under investigation to unravel the molecular mechanisms that cause these disturbances. This is done in attempt to counter or prevent the negative health consequences of the metabolic disturbances. Here, we reviewed the current knowledge on the role of C/EBP-beta in these metabolic disturbances. C/EBP-beta deletion in mice resulted in downregulation of hepatic lipogenic genes and increased expression of beta-oxidation genes in brown adipose tissue. Furthermore, C/EBP-beta is important in the differentiation and maturation of adipocytes and is increased during ER stress and proinflammatory conditions. So far, studies were only conducted in animals and in cell systems. The results found that C/EBP-beta is an important transcription factor within the metabolic disturbances of the metabolic system. Therefore, it is interesting to examine the potential role of C/EBP-beta at molecular and physiological level in humans.