Cholesterol is a precursor for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D, and is a critical determinant of cell membrane permeability and fl uidity ( 1, 2 ). Cholesterol biosynthesis and homeostasis are regulated by the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factor family. SREBPs are basic-helix-loophelix-leucine zipper transcription factors, which are activated in response to low cellular sterol levels by a series of protein cleavage/transport events ( 3-5 ). There are three SREBP isoforms, which originate from two genes. Srebf1 encodes SREBP-1a and SREBP-1c, which have distinct promoters and 5 ′ exons. Srebf2 encodes SREBP-2. SREBP-1c is the predominant isoform in metabolic tissues such as liver and adipose tissue, but has a relatively weak transcriptionactivation domain compared with the other SREBPs. There is overlap in the activities of the SREBP isoforms, but it is generally held that SREBP-1c primarily targets genes implicated in fatty acid synthesis, whereas SREBP-2 preferentially regulates genes involved in cholesterol synthesis ( 5-8 ). SREBP-1a is a potent activator of both triglyceride and cholesterol biosynthetic pathways, but is expressed at low levels in metabolic tissues, making the physiological role of the protein unclear ( 9 ). SREBP-1c, itself, is regulated by SREBPs, indicating a high degree of cross-talk among SREBP proteins, making it diffi cult to assign distinct physiological functions to individual SREBP proteins.Abstract Cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis are regulated by the sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), encoded by Srebf1 and Srebf2 . We generated mice that were either defi cient or hypomorphic for SREBP-2.
SREBP-2 defi ciency generally caused death during embryonic development. Analyses of Srebf2؊ / ؊ embryos revealed a requirement for SREBP-2 in limb development and expression of morphogenic genes. We encountered only one viable Srebf2 ؊ / ؊ mouse, which displayed alopecia, attenuated growth, and reduced adipose tissue stores. Hypomorphic SREBP-2 mice (expressing low levels of SREBP-2) survived development, but the female mice exhibited reduced body weight and died between 8 and 12 weeks of age. Male hypomorphic mice were viable but had reduced cholesterol stores in the liver and lower expression of SREBP target genes. Reduced SREBP-2 expression affected SREBP-1 isoforms in a tissue-specifi c manner. In the liver, reduced SREBP-2 expression nearly abolished Srebf1c transcripts and reduced Srebf1a mRNA levels. In contrast, adipose tissue displayed normal expression of SREBP target genes, likely due to a compensatory increase in Srebf1a expression. Our results establish that SREBP-2 is critical for survival and limb patterning during development. Reduced expression of SREBP-2 from the hypomorphic allele leads to early death in females and reduced cholesterol content in the liver, but not in adipose tissue.