From quantitative trait locus mapping in inbred mice, we identified the Nr1h4 gene encoding the nuclear bile salt receptor FXR as a candidate gene for the cholesterol gallstone susceptibility locus Lith7.
These findings suggest that PGC-1 can play a role in the prevention of cholesterol gallstone disease in humans; this might take place via interaction with the bile acid receptor FXR, whose protective role in cholelithiasis has been suggested by recent evidence in animal models and other coactivators.