Whole Transcriptome Analysis of Hypothalamus in Mice during Short-Term Starvation

Abstract

Molecular profiling of the hypothalamus in response to metabolic shifts is a critical cue to better understand the principle of the central control of whole-body energy metabolism. The transcriptional responses of the rodent hypothalamus to short-term calorie restriction have been documented. However, studies on the identification of hypothalamic secretory factors that potentially contribute to the control of appetite are lacking. In this study, we analyzed the differential expression of hypothalamic genes and compared the selected secretory factors from the fasted mice with those of fed control mice using bulk RNA-sequencing. We verified seven secretory genes that were significantly altered in the hypothalamus of fasted mice. In addition, we determined the response of secretory genes in cultured hypothalamic cells to treatment with ghrelin and leptin. The current study provides further insights into the neuronal response to food restriction at the molecular level and may be useful for understanding the hypothalamic control of appetite.

Elucidating brain metabolic changes during short-term fasting: a comprehensive atlas

“…The breakdown of LDs releases FAs, which are subsequently harnessed as an energy source through oxidative phosphorylation in astrocytes, thereby serving an energetic function and mitigating lipotoxicity (Bogie et al, 2020 ). Recent research further substantiates these findings by observing significant alterations in genes associated with the lipolysis process in the hypothalamus of fasting mice (Oh et al, 2023 ). This observation provides additional support for the concept of heightened lipolysis occurring within the brain during STF.…”

Effect of Short-Term Restraint Stress on the Hypothalamic Transcriptome Profiles of Rats with Inherited Stress-Induced Arterial Hypertension (ISIAH) and Normotensive Wistar Albino Glaxo (WAG) Rats

“…Researchers often choose the hypothalamus to analyze transcriptomic changes after exposure to various stressors: heat stress for 24 h [ 9 ] or for 14 days [ 10 , 11 ], social conflict (within 20 days) [ 12 ], alcohol consumption [ 13 ], short-term starvation [ 14 ], and repeated homotypic stress [ 15 ]. The hypothalamic transcriptome has also been investigated when studying the molecular mechanisms of blood pressure regulation.…”