Genomic and epigenomic mapping of leptin-responsive neuronal populations involved in body weight regulation.

ABSTRACT: Genome wide association studies (GWAS) in obesity have identified a large number of noncoding loci located near genes expressed in the central nervous system. However, due to the difficulties in isolating and characterizing specific neuronal subpopulations, few obesity-associated SNPs have been functionally characterized. Leptin responsive neurons in the hypothalamus are essential in controlling energy homeostasis and body weight. Here, we combine FACS-sorting of leptin-responsive hypothalamic neuron nuclei with genomic and epigenomic approaches (RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq) to generate a comprehensive map of leptin-response specific regulatory elements, several of which overlap obesity-associated GWAS variants. We demonstrate the usefulness of our leptin-response neuron regulome, by funct

SUBMITTER: Inoue F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6750255 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature