Project description:Liver mitochondria play a central role in metabolic adaptations to changing nutritional states, yet their dynamic regulation upon anticipated changes in energy state has remained unaddressed. Here, we show that sensory food perception rapidly induces mitochondrial fission in the liver via protein kinase B/AKT-dependent phosphorylation of serine 131 of the Mitochondrial fission factor (MFFS131), and this response is mediated via activation of hypothalamic Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing neurons. A non-phosphorylatable MFFS131G knock-in mutation abrogates AKT-induced mitochondrial fragmentation in vitro. In vivo, MFFS131G knock-in mice display altered liver mitochondrial dynamics upon food perception and refeeding and impaired insulin stimulated suppression of gluconeogenesis. Collectively, we reveal a critical role for rapid activation of a hypothalamic/liver axis to adapt mitochondrial function to anticipated changes of nutritional state in control of hepatic glucose metabolism. The repository contains two LC-MS/MS datasets aiming for the detection of phosphorylated peptides. a) POMC neuron activation and b) time course experiment of fasted, refed and caged food. We assumed that due to the short time (30 min max) that the total protein level remain unchanged.
Project description:Considering the distinct physiologies of men and women, it stands to reason that they would react differently to solar exposure, but such a study was never conducted before. Here we show that solar exposure induces food-seeking behavior, food intake and weight gain in males, but not in females, by epidemiological analysis, blood-serum proteomics, UVB-exposed mouse behavioral models and human cohort questionnaires . The underlying mechanism entails increased ghrelin secretion from skin adipocytes into the circulation. UVB irradiation led to p53 transcriptional activation of ghrelin in skin adipocytes, with mouse conditional p53-knockout abolishing UVB-induced ghrelin expression and food-seeking behavior. In females, estrogen interferes with the p53–chromatin interaction on the ghrelin promotor, thus blocking ghrelin and, consequently, food-seeking behavior in response to UVB exposure. These results identify the skin as a major mediator of human physiology in furless animals and may lead to therapeutic opportunities for sex-based treatment of endocrine-related diseases.
Project description:The aim of this study is to obtain the gene expression profiles of the liver of young growing rats after mild restriction of food intake for one week or one month.
Project description:Adaptation of liver to the postprandial state requires coordinate regulation of protein synthesis and folding aligned with changes in lipid metabolism. Here we demonstrate that sensory food perception is sufficient to elicit early activation of hepatic mTOR-signaling, Xbp1-splicing, increased expression of ER-stress genes and phosphatidylcholine synthesis, which translate into a rapid morphological ER-remodeling. These responses overlap with those activated during refeeding, where they are maintained and constantly increase upon nutrient supply. Sensory food perception activates POMC-neurons in the hypothalamus, optogenetic activation of POMC-neurons activates hepatic mTOR-signaling and Xbp1-splicing and lack of MC4R-expression attenuates these responses to sensory food perception. Chemogenetic POMC-neuron activation promotes sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) subserving the liver, and norepinephrine evokes the same responses in hepatocytes in vitro and liver in vivo as observed upon sensory food perception. Collectively, our experiments unravel that sensory food perception coordinatly primes postprandrial liver ER adaption through a melanocortin-SNA-mTOR-Xbp1s-axis
Project description:Mice were starved overnight and divided into three groups: a) refed for 30 min b) caged food (not able to reach, but to smell and see food) c) further fasted. The aim of the study was to determine phosphorylation events in the liver in response to visual exposure of food. See more details in the manuscript and Supplementary Tables.
Project description:We describe a distinct macrophage population, whose presence in the liver during homoeostasis depends on recruitment signals mediated by the chemokine receptor CCR2. The identified polarization state of this population closely resembles that induced in co-culture experiments, where hepatocytes are reducing the availability of TGFb to macrophages. Accordingly, disruption of TGFb signal transduction in macrophages phenocopies the influence of hepatocytes on macrophage polarization.
Project description:Mammalian circadian clocks precisely control the rhythms of behavior and physiology, and can be reset by various environmental signals. While the light-dark (LD) cycle resets the master clock, timed food intake is a potent synchronizer of peripheral clocks. As the largest metabolic organ, the liver sensitively responds to the food signals and secrets hepatokines, leading to the robust regulation of metabolic and clock processes. However, it remains unknown which hepatokine mediates the food-driven resetting of the liver clock independent of the master clock. In our current study, we clustered high-throughput RNA sequencing results to screen out candidate genes that mediate the food-driven resetting of the liver clock