An increase on the mRNA of the SREBP-1c is responsible for an increase of the mRNA of lipogenic enzymes like acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) (Foretz et al. 1999, Foretz et al. 2000). This finding is demonstrated from the absence of triglyceride accumulation on SREBP-1c (-/-) mice [1], [2], [3], [4].
However there is evidence that this effect is not induced in the embryonic state indicating a different role of the SREBP-1c between embryonic and adult life [5]. It is also suggested that for lipogenic genes, SREBP-1c acts together with ChREBP [6]. In addition, in STZ diabetic mice, adenovirus-mediated over-expression of SREBP-1c in the liver resulted in an increase of lipogenic enzyme expression with an increase of the triglyceride hepatic content and a marked decrease in the hyperglycaemia of diabetic mice mimicking perfectly the effect of an insulin injection [7].
Finally there are a number of studies that demonstrated that SREBP-1c is essential for glucokinase (GK) expression and that it is a mediator of insulin action [8], [9].