Epigenetic codes of PPARγ in metabolic disease

Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a ligand‐regulated nuclear hormone receptor, plays critical roles in metabolism and adipogenesis. PPARγ ligands such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) exert insulin sensitizing and anti‐inflammatory effects primarily through action on adipocytes, and are thus widely used to treat metabolic syndrome, especially type II diabetes. A number of PPARγ interacting partners have been identified, many of which are known epigenetic regulators, including enzymes for histone acetylation/deacetylation and histone methylation/demethylation. However, their functional roles in the PPARγ transcriptional pathway are not well defined. Recent advances in ChIP‐based and deep sequencing technology are revealing previously underappreciated epigenomic mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of this nuclear receptor pathway.