Adult-born proopiomelanocortin neurons derived from Rax-expressing precursors mitigate the metabolic effects of congenital hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin deficiency.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus are essential regulators of energy balance. Selective loss of POMC production in these cells results in extreme obesity and metabolic comorbidities. Neurogenesis occurs in the adult hypothalamus, but it remains uncertain whether functional POMC neurons emerge in physiologically significant numbers during adulthood. Here, we tested whether Rax-expressing precursors generate POMC neurons in adult mice and rescue the metabolic phenotype caused by congenital hypothalamic POMC deficiency.

Methods

Initially, we identified hypothalamic Rax-expressing cell types using wild-type and Rax-CreERT2:Ai34D mice. Then we generated compound Rax-CreERT2:ArcPomc^loxTB/loxTB mice in which endogenous hypot

SUBMITTER: Surbhi 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8383116 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature