RESUMO
The opsin family of G-protein-coupled receptors are used as light detectors in animals. Opsin 5 (also known as neuropsin or OPN5) is a highly conserved opsin that is sensitive to visible violet light1,2. In mice, OPN5 is a known photoreceptor in the retina3 and skin4 but is also expressed in the hypothalamic preoptic area (POA)5. Here we describe a light-sensing pathway in which POA neurons that express Opn5 regulate thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT). We show that Opn5 is expressed in glutamatergic warm-sensing POA neurons that receive synaptic input from several thermoregulatory nuclei. We further show that Opn5 POA neurons project to BAT and decrease its activity under chemogenetic stimulation. Opn5-null mice show overactive BAT, increased body temperature, and exaggerated thermogenesis when cold-challenged. Moreover, violet photostimulation during cold exposure acutely suppresses BAT temperature in wild-type mice but not in Opn5-null mice. Direct measurements of intracellular cAMP ex vivo show that Opn5 POA neurons increase cAMP when stimulated with violet light. This analysis thus identifies a violet light-sensitive deep brain photoreceptor that normally suppresses BAT thermogenesis.
Assuntos
Cor , Luz , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Neurônios/efeitos da radiação , Opsinas/metabolismo , Área Pré-Óptica/citologia , Termogênese/efeitos da radiação , Tecido Adiposo Marrom/inervação , Tecido Adiposo Marrom/metabolismo , Tecido Adiposo Marrom/efeitos da radiação , Animais , Temperatura Corporal , Temperatura Baixa , AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Feminino , Masculino , Proteínas de Membrana/deficiência , Proteínas de Membrana/genética , Camundongos , Opsinas/deficiência , Opsinas/genética , Termogênese/genéticaRESUMO
Almost all life forms can detect and decode light information for adaptive advantage. Examples include the visual system, in which photoreceptor signals are processed into virtual images, and the circadian system, in which light entrains a physiological clock. Here we describe a light response pathway in mice that employs encephalopsin (OPN3, a 480 nm, blue-light-responsive opsin) to regulate the function of adipocytes. Germline null and adipocyte-specific conditional null mice show a light- and Opn3-dependent deficit in thermogenesis and become hypothermic upon cold exposure. We show that stimulating mouse adipocytes with blue light enhances the lipolysis response and, in particular, phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. This response is Opn3 dependent. These data establish a key mechanism in which light-dependent, local regulation of the lipolysis response in white adipocytes regulates energy metabolism.