The Liver X Receptor (LXR) and Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Previously, they have been classified as important regulators of lipid homeostasis. However, recent studies have shown that they may be implicated in anti-inflammatory responses as well. This study shows that Tumour Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) treatment reduces both LXR-α and PXR mRNA expression. However, pre-treatment with rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, followed by TNF-α stimulation, significantly induces LXR-α and PXR mRNA expression to ~17- and ~2-fold, respectively. This suggests that mTORC1, a multi-molecular complex of which mTOR is a member, may act as a negative regulator that inhibits the induction of LXR-α and PXR as anti-inflammatory... |