Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) were reported to prevent cells from stress-induced apoptosis and protect tissues against ischemia-reperfusion injury. The underlying transcriptional mechanism is unclear. Recent reports indicate that the antiapoptotic actions of ligand-activated PPARdelta and PPARgamma are mediated through enhanced binding of PPAR to the promoter of 14-3-3epsilon and upregulation of 14-3-3epsilon expression. We propose that ligand-activated PPARalpha exerts its anti-apoptotic actions via the identical pathway. The PPAR to 14-3-3 transcriptional axis plays an important role in protection of cell and tissue integrity and is a target for drug discovery.
