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Developmental reprogramming of the melanocortin neurons regulates energy homeostasis

ABSTRACT: The central melanocortin neurons regulate satiety in mammalian species. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) play crucial and opposing roles in regulating food intake. POMC neurons promote satiety by releasing the anorexigenic peptide α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), while AgRP neurons promote hunger through the release of the orexigenic peptides AgRP and neuropeptide Y (NPY). While distinct in function, these neurons arise, in part, from shared neuronal precursors during development. In mice, Pomc mRNA first appears in the developing hypothalamus at embryonic (E) day E10.5. The number of Pomc-expressing neurons gradually increases, reaching a peak around E13.5. However, Pomc expression in these neurons does not dictate terminal cell fate; instead, more than half of them lose Pomc expression as they adopt other peptidergic identities by the early postnatal period. Remarkably, some Pomc precursors begin expressing Npy, a marker for AgRP neurons, giving rise to a subset of adult AgRP neurons. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the fate switch between two antagonistic feeding neurons, and its physiological implications, have remained unknown.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE287161 | GEO | 2026/02/16

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) sense the fed/fasted state and regulate hunger. ARCAgRP neurons release GABA, NPY and the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) antagonist, AgRP, and are activated by fasting1-4. When stimulated, they rapidly and potently drive hunger5,6. ARCPOMC neurons, in contrast, release the MC4R agonist, α-MSH, and are viewed as the counterpoint to ARCAgRP neurons. They are regulated in an opposite fashion and their activity leads to decreased hunger2,4,7. Together, ARCAgRP and ARCPOMC neurons constitute the ARC feeding center. Against this, however, is the finding that ARCPOMC neurons, unlike ARCAgRP neurons, fail to affect food intake over the timescale of minutes to hours following opto- or chemogenetic stimulation5,8. This suggests a rapidly acting component of the ARC satiety pathway is missing. Here, we show that excitatory ARC neurons identified by expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) and the oxytocin receptor, unlike ARCPOMC neurons, rapidly cause satiety when chemo- or optogenetically manipulated. These glutamatergic ARC projections synaptically converge with GABAergic ARCAgRP projections on MC4R-expressing neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVHMC4R neurons), which are known to mediate satiety9. ARCPOMC neurons also send dense projections to the PVH. Importantly, the α-MSH they release post-synaptically potentiates glutamatergic synaptic activity onto PVHMC4R neurons – including that emanating from ARCVglut2 neurons. This suggests a means by which α-MSH can bring about satiety – via postsynaptic potentiation of this novel ARCVglut2 to PVHMC4R satiety circuit. Thus, while fast (GABA and NPY) and slow (AgRP) ARC hunger signals are delivered together by ARCAgRP neurons10,11, the temporally analogous satiety signals from the ARC, glutamate and α-MSH, are delivered separately by two parallel, interacting projections (from ARCVGLUT2 and ARCPOMC neurons). Discovery of this rapidly acting excitatory ARC → PVH satiety circuit, and its regulation by α-MSH, provides new insight into regulation of hunger/satiety.

Project description:Appetite is frequently affected in cancer patients, leading to anorexia and consequently insufficient food intake. In this study, we report on hypothalamic gene expression profile of a cancer cachectic mouse model with increased food intake. In this model, mice bearing C26 colon adenocarcinoma have an increased food intake subsequently to the loss of body weight. We hypothesize that in this model, appetite regulating systems in the hypothalamus, which apparently fail in anorexia, are still able to adapt adequately to changes in energy balance. Therefore studying the changes that occur on appetite regulators in the hypothalamus might reveal targets for treatment of cancer-induced eating disorders. By applying transcriptomics, many appetite regulating systems in the hypothalamus could be taken into account, providing an overview of changes that occur in the hypothalamus during tumour growth. We show that hypothalamic expression of orexigenic neuropeptides NPY and AgRP was higher, whereas expression of anorexigenic genes CCK and POMC were lower in TB compared to controls. In addition, serotonin and dopamine signalling pathways were found to be significantly altered in TB mice. Serotonin levels in brain showed to be lower in TB mice compared to control mice, while dopamine levels did not change. Moreover, serotonin levels inversely correlated with food intake. Transcriptomic analysis of the hypothalamus of cachectic TB mice with an increased food intake showed changes in NPY, AgRP and serotonin signalling. Serotonin levels in the brain showed to correlate with changes in food intake. Targeting these systems seems a promising strategy to avoid the development of cancer-induced eating disorders. C26-colon adenocarcinoma cells were subcutaneously inoculated in CDF1 mice. After 20 days, hypothalami were dissected and subjected to gene expression profiling. The total dataset consists of 2 parts; dataset 1, a pilot stuy in which mice were injected with increasing number of tumour cells and pooled samples were arrayed; and dataset 2, the main study in which mice were injected with 1 million tumour cells and samples were individually arrayed.

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Developmental reprogramming of the melanocortin neurons regulates energy homeostasis

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