Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder with high morbidity and mortality. The current study aims to explore the role of Cullin-associated and neddylation-dissociated protein 1 (CAND1) in the development of NAFLD and the underlying mechanisms. CAND1 is reduced in the liver of NAFLD male patients and high fat diet (HFD)-fed male mice. CAND1 alleviates palmitate (PA) induced lipid accumulation in vitro. Hepatocyte-specific knockout of CAND1 exacerbates HFD-induced liver injury in HFD-fed male mice, while hepatocyte-specific knockin of CAND1 ameliorates these pathological changes. Mechanistically, deficiency of CAND1 enhances the assembly of Cullin1, F-box only protein 42 (FBXO42) and acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2) complexes, and thus promotes the ubiquitinated degradation of ACAA2. ACAA2 overexpression abolishes the exacerbated effects of CAND1 deficiency on NAFLD. Additionally, androgen receptor binds to the -187 to -2000 promoter region of CAND1. Collectively, CAND1 mitigates NAFLD by inhibiting Cullin1/FBXO42 mediated ACAA2 degradation.