Retinoic acid regulates several genes in bile acid and lipid metabolism via upregulation of small heterodimer partner in hepatocytes.

Retinoic acid (RA) affects multiple aspects of development, embryogenesis and cell differentiation processes. The liver is a major organ that stores RA suggesting that retinoids play an important role in the function of hepatocytes. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated the involvement of small heterodimer partner (SHP) in RA-induced signaling in a non-transformed hepatic cell line AML 12. In the present study, we have identified several critical genes in lipid homeostasis (Apoa1, Apoa2 and ApoF) that are repressed by RA-treatment in a SHP dependent manner, in vitro and also in vivo with the use of the SHP null mice. In a similar manner, RA also represses several critical genes involved in bile acid metabolism (Cyp7a1, Cyp8b1, Mdr2, Bsep, Baat and Ntcp) via upregulation of SHP. Collectively our data suggest that SHP plays a major role in RA-induced potential changes in pathophysiology of metabolic disorders in the liver.