SF1-specific deletion of the energy sensor AMPKγ2 induces obesity.

Objective: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimer complex consisting of a catalytic α subunit (α1, α2) with a serine/threonine kinase domain, and two regulatory subunits, β (β1, β2) and γ (γ1, γ2, γ3), encoded by different genes. In the hypothalamus, AMPK plays a crucial role in regulating energy balance, including feeding, energy expenditure, peripheral glucose and lipid metabolism. However, most research on hypothalamic AMPK has concentrated on the catalytic subunits AMPKα1 and AMPKα2, with little focus on the regulatory subunits.

Sympathetic NPY ignites adipose tissue.

The established view of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) is its orexigenic and weight-promoting effect. A recent article published in Nature by Domingos and colleagues demonstrates that NPY produced by sympathetic neurons protects against obesity by promoting thermogenesis and energy expenditure.

Obesity induces resistance to central action of BMP8B through a mechanism involving the BBSome.

Objective: Bone morphogenetic protein 8B (BMP8B) plays a major role in the regulation of energy homeostasis by modulating brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning. Here, we investigated whether BMP8B's role in metabolism is affected by obesity and the possible molecular mechanisms underlying that action.

Methods: Central treatments with BMP8B were performed in rats fed a standard (SD) and high-fat diet (HFD), as well as in genetically modified mice.

Olfactomedin 2 deficiency protects against diet-induced obesity.

Background And Aims: Olfactomedin 2 (OLFM2; also known as noelin 2) is a pleiotropic protein that plays a major role in olfaction and Olfm2 null mice exhibit reduced olfactory sensitivity, as well as abnormal motor coordination and anxiety-related behavior. Here, we investigated the possible metabolic role of OLFM2.

Methods: Olfm2 null mice were metabolically phenotyped.

ADAR1-Dependent RNA Editing Promotes MET and iPSC Reprogramming by Alleviating ER Stress.

RNA editing of adenosine to inosine (A to I) is catalyzed by ADAR1 and dramatically alters the cellular transcriptome, although its functional roles in somatic cell reprogramming are largely unexplored. Here, we show that loss of ADAR1-mediated A-to-I editing disrupts mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) during induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming and impedes acquisition of induced pluripotency. Using chemical and genetic approaches, we show that absence of ADAR1-dependent RNA editing induces aberrant innate immune responses through the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensor MDA5, unleashing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and hindering epithelial fate acquisition.