Zfp30, a member of the KRAB-zinc finger protein family, is involved in multiple biological processes. It has been implicated in pathways related to adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, and neutrophilic inflammation [1,2,4]. Zfp30 is thought to function as a transcriptional regulator, potentially through its ability to recruit co-regulators [1,2]. Genetic models, especially mouse models, have been crucial in understanding its functions.

In a Zfp30 knockout mouse model, the null allele did not affect CXCL1 secretion or neutrophil recruitment to the lungs in response to innate immune stimuli. However, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of live Zfp30 homozygous female mutant mice from heterozygous matings, suggesting a role in fertility or embryonic development [3]. In NAFLD models, Zfp30 silencing ameliorated lipid accumulation, while overexpression exacerbated triglyceride accumulation and steatosis in hepatocytes. Zfp30 acts by down-regulating PPARα, as it directly binds to the PPARα promoter and recruits KAP1 to suppress its transcription [2]. In adipogenesis, Zfp30 promotes the process by directly targeting and activating a retrotransposon-derived Pparg2 enhancer, with KAP1 acting as a co-activator in this context [1].

In conclusion, Zfp30 plays important roles in adipogenesis, lipid metabolism in the context of NAFLD, and potentially in fertility or embryonic development as revealed by mouse models. Understanding Zfp30 functions contributes to insights in these biological processes and related disease areas such as NAFLD [1,2,3].

References:

1. Chen, Wanze, Schwalie, Petra C, Pankevich, Eugenia V, Wolfrum, Christian, Deplancke, Bart. 2019. ZFP30 promotes adipogenesis through the KAP1-mediated activation of a retrotransposon-derived Pparg2 enhancer. In Nature communications, 10, 1809. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09803-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31000713/

2. Ding, Han, Ge, Kunyi, Fan, Changyu, Li, Rongpeng, Yan, Feng-Juan. 2023. Chlorogenic Acid Attenuates Hepatic Steatosis by Suppressing ZFP30. In Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 72, 245-258. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.3c02988. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38148374/

3. Laudermilk, Lucas T, Tovar, Adelaide, Homstad, Alison K, Ideraabdullah, Folami, Kelada, Samir N P. 2020. Baseline and innate immune response characterization of a Zfp30 knockout mouse strain. In Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society, 31, 205-214. doi:10.1007/s00335-020-09847-z. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32860515/

4. Rutledge, Holly, Aylor, David L, Carpenter, Danielle E, de Villena, Fernando Pardo-Manuel, Kelada, Samir N P. 2014. Genetic regulation of Zfp30, CXCL1, and neutrophilic inflammation in murine lung. In Genetics, 198, 735-45. doi:10.1534/genetics.114.168138. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25114278/