Oxysterols are metabolites of cholesterol that regulate cholesterol homeostasis. Among these, the most abundant oxysterol is 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), which can cross the blood-brain barrier. Because 27HC functions as an endogenous selective estrogen receptor modulator, we hypothesize that 27HC binds to the estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the brain to regulate energy balance. Supporting this view, we found that delivering 27HC to the brain reduced food intake and activated proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (POMC) in an ERα-dependent manner. In addition, we observed that inhibiting brain ERα, deleting ERα in POMC neurons, or chemogenetic inhibition of POMC neurons blocked the anorexigenic effects of 27HC. Mechanistically, we further revealed that 27HC stimulates POMC neurons by inhibiting the small conductance of the calcium-activated potassium (SK) channel. Together, our findings suggest that 27HC, through its interaction with ERα and modulation of the SK channel, inhibits food intake as a negative feedback mechanism against a surge in circulating cholesterol.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi4746 | DOI Listing |
J Physiol
December 2024
Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Although mammals resist both acute weight loss and weight gain, the neural circuitry mediating bi-directional defense against weight change is incompletely understood. Global constitutive deletion of the melanocortin-3-receptor (MC3R) impairs the behavioural response to both anorexic and orexigenic stimuli, with MC3R knockout mice demonstrating increased weight gain following anabolic challenges and increased weight loss following anorexic challenges (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Biol
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention Ministry of Education, China Medical University, No. 77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, People's Republic of China.
Background: Epidemiologic researches show that short sleep duration may affect feeding behaviors resulting in higher energy intake and increased risk of obesity, but the further mechanisms that can interpret the causality remain unclear. The circadian rhythm is fine-tuned by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) as the master clock, which is essential for driving rhythms in food intake and energy metabolism through neuronal projections to the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN).
Results: We showed that chronic SD-induced aberrant expressions of AgRP/NPY and POMC attributed to compromised JAK/STAT3 signals and reduced energy expenditure in the mice, which can be rescued with AAV-genetic overexpression of BMAL1 into SCN.
Exp Mol Pathol
December 2024
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China; Key Laboratory of Modernization of Minority Medicine, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China. Electronic address:
Male infertility is most commonly caused by oligozoospermia, and its pathogenesis is still poorly understood at the molecular level. This study used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology to identify candidate genes and regulatory pathways that regulate semen quality in the hypothalamic, pituitary, and testicular tissues of healthy rats and Adenine-induced oligozoospermia model rats. Semen quality testing and histological analysis of testicular tissues were performed on both groups of rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
November 2024
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Takara-machi 13-1, Kanazawa 920-8040, Japan.
Excessive consumption of vegetable oils such as soybean and canolla oils containing ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids is considered one of the most important epidemiological factors leading to the progression of lifestyle-related diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of vegetable-oil-induced organ damage is incompletely elucidated. Since proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamus are related to the control of appetite and energy expenditure, their cell degeneration/death is crucial for the occurrence of obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet J
December 2024
College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China. Electronic address:
During the periparturient period, dairy cows experience negative energy balance due to reduced feed intake, leading to adipose tissue breakdown, liver damage, and fat accumulation. This study examined the gut-liver-brain axis to explore the link between fatty liver disease, changes in hypothalamic appetite-related neurons, and microbiome shifts in dairy cows. Thirty cows were monitored, with daily DMI recordings and blood sampling.
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