Deletion of Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor in Kisspeptin Neurons in Female Mice Blocks Diet-Induced Obesity.

The gut peptide, ghrelin, mediates energy homeostasis and reproduction by acting through its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), expressed in hypothalamic neurons in the arcuate (ARC). We have shown 17ß-estradiol (E2) increases Ghsr expression in Kisspeptin/Neurokinin B/Dynorphin (KNDy) neurons, enhancing sensitivity to ghrelin. We hypothesized that E2-induced Ghsr expression augments KNDy sensitivity in a fasting state by elevating ghrelin to disrupt energy expenditure in females. We produced a Kiss1-GHSR knockout to determine the role of GHSR in ARC KNDy neurons. We found that changes in ARC gene expression with estradiol benzoate (EB) treatment were abrogated by the deletion of GHSR and ghrelin abolished these differences. We also observed changes in metabolism and fasting glucose levels. Additionally, knockouts were resistant to body weight gain on a high fat diet (HFD). Behaviorally, we found that knockouts on HFD exhibited reduced anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, knockouts did not refeed to the same extent as controls after a 24 h fast. Finally, in response to cold stress, knockout females had elevated metabolic parameters compared to controls. These data indicate GHSR in Kiss1 neurons modulate ARC gene expression, metabolism, glucose homeostasis, behavior, and thermoregulation, illustrating a novel mechanism for E2 and ghrelin to control Kiss1 neurons.

Glucose-sensing glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus regulate glucose metabolism.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) regulates energy homeostasis via activation of the GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) in the central nervous system. However, the mechanism by which the central GLP-1 signal controls blood glucose levels, especially in different nutrient states, remains unclear. Here, we defined a population of glucose-sensing GLP-1R neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH), by which endogenous GLP-1 decreases glucose levels via the cross-talk between the hypothalamus and pancreas. Specifically, we illustrated the sufficiency and necessity of DMHGLP-1R in glucose regulation. The activation of the DMHGLP-1R neurons is mediated by a cAMP-PKA-dependent inhibition of a delayed rectifier potassium current. We also dissected a descending control of DMHGLP-1R -dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV)-pancreas activity that can regulate glucose levels by increasing insulin release. Thus, our results illustrate how central GLP-1 action in the DMH can induce a nutrient state-dependent reduction in blood glucose level.

Implications of estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) with the intersection of organophosphate flame retardants and diet-induced obesity in adult mice.

Previously, organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) were found to produce intersecting disruptions of energy homeostasis using an adult mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Using the same mixture consisting of 1 mg/kg/day of each triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate, the current study aimed to identify the role of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in OPFR-induced disruption, utilizing ERα knockout (ERαKO) mice fed either a low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD). Body weight and composition, food intake patterns, glucose and insulin tolerance, circulating peptide hormones, and expression of hypothalamic genes associated with energy homeostasis were measured. When fed HFD, no marked direct effects of OPFR were observed in mice lacking ERα, suggesting a role for ERα in generating previously reported wildtype (WT) findings. Male ERαKO mice fed LFD experienced decreased feeding efficiency and altered insulin tolerance, whereas their female counterparts displayed less fat mass and circulating ghrelin when exposed to OPFRs. These effects were not noted in the previous WT study, indicating that loss of ERα may sensitize animals fed LFD to alternate pathways of endocrine disruption by OFPRs. Collectively, these data demonstrate both direct and indirect actions of OPFRs on ERα-mediated pathways governing energy homeostasis and support a growing body of evidence urging concern for risk of human exposure.

Implications of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARY) with the intersection of organophosphate flame retardants and diet-induced obesity in adult mice.

Previously, organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) were demonstrated to dysregulate homeostatic parameters of energy regulation within an adult mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Using the same OPFR mixture consisting of 1 mg/kg/day of each triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate, the current study examined the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in OPFR-induced disruption by utilizing mice with brain-specific deletion of PPARγ (PPARγKO) fed either a low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD). Body weight and composition, feeding behavior, glucose and insulin tolerance, circulating peptide hormones, and expression of hypothalamic genes associated with energy homeostasis were recorded. When fed HFD, the effects of OPFR on body weight and feeding behavior observed in the previous wild-type (WT) study were absent in mice lacking neuronal PPARγ. This posits PPARγ as an important target for eliciting OPFR disruption in a diet-induced obesity model. Interestingly, female PPARγKO mice, but not males, experienced many novel OPFR effects not noted in WT mice, including decreased fat mass, altered feeding behavior and efficiency, improved insulin sensitivity, elevated plasma ghrelin and hypothalamic expression of its receptor. Taken together, these data suggest both direct roles for PPARγ in OPFR disruption of obese mice and indirect sensitization of pathways alternative to PPARγ when neuronal expression is deleted.

The interactions of diet-induced obesity and organophosphate flame retardant exposure on energy homeostasis in adult male and female mice.

Previously, sex-dependent alterations in energy homeostasis were reported in adult mice fed a standard chow attributed to exposure to a mixture of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) via estrogen receptors (ERα). In this study, adult male and female mice (C57BL/6J; Taconic) were treated with the same mixture of OPFRs (1 mg/kg each of tricresyl phosphate (TCP), triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and tris(1-3-dichloro-2propyl)phosphate (TDCPP)) for 7 weeks on a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal fat) or a high fat (HFD, 45% kcal fat) in a diet-induced obesity model. Consistent with our previous observations, OPFRs altered weight gain in males, differentially with diet, while females remained unaffected. OPFR treatment also revealed sex-dependent perturbations in metabolic activity. During the night (approximately 0100-0400 hr), males exhibited elevated activity and oxygen consumption, while in females these parameters were decreased, irrespective of diet. OPFR disrupted feeding behavior and abolished diurnal water intake patterns in females while increasing nighttime fluid consumption in males. Despite no marked effect of OPFRs on glucose or insulin tolerance, OPFR treatment altered circulating insulin and leptin in females and ghrelin in males. Data indicate that adult OPFR exposure might influence, and perhaps exacerbate, the effects of diet-induced obesity in adult mice by altering activity, ingestive behavior, and metabolism.

Sex- and age-dependent effects of maternal organophosphate flame-retardant exposure on neonatal hypothalamic and hepatic gene expression.

After the phase-out of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, their replacement compounds, organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) became ubiquitous in home and work environments. OPFRs, which may act as endocrine disruptors, are detectable in human urine, breast milk, and blood samples collected from pregnant women. However, the effects of perinatal OPFR exposure on offspring homeostasis and gene expression remain largely underexplored. To address this knowledge gap, virgin female mice were mated and dosed with either a sesame oil vehicle or an OPFR mixture (tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, and triphenyl phosphate, 1 mg/kg each) from gestational day (GD) 7 to postnatal day (PND) 14. Hypothalamic and hepatic tissues were collected from one female and one male pup per litter on PND 0 and PND 14. Expression of genes involved in energy homeostasis, reproduction, glucose metabolism, and xenobiotic metabolism were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. In the mediobasal hypothalamus, OPFR increased Pdyn, Tac2, Esr1, and Pparg in PND 14 females. In the liver, OPFR increased Pparg and suppressed Insr, G6pc, and Fasn in PND 14 males and increased Esr1, Foxo1, Dgat2, Fasn, and Cyb2b10 in PND 14 females. We also observed striking sex differences in gene expression that were dependent on the age of the pup. Collectively, these data suggest that maternal OPFR exposure alters hypothalamic and hepatic development by influencing neonatal gene expression in a sex-dependent manner. The long-lasting consequences of these changes in expression may disrupt puberty, hormone sensitivity, and metabolism of glucose, fatty acids, and triglycerides in the maturing juvenile.

17ß-Estradiol Increases Arcuate KNDy Neuronal Sensitivity to Ghrelin Inhibition of the M-Current in Female Mice.

Obesity and anorexia result in dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, negatively impacting reproduction. Ghrelin, secreted from the stomach, potentially mediates negative energy states and neuroendocrine control of reproduction by acting through the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). GHSR is expressed in hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) Kisspeptin/Neurokinin B (Tac2)/Dynorphin (KNDy) neurons. Ghrelin is known to inhibit the M-current produced by KCNQ channels in other ARC neurons. In addition, we have shown 17ß-estradiol (E2) increases Ghsr expression in KNDy neurons 6-fold and increases the M-current in NPY neurons. We hypothesize that E2 increases GHSR expression in KNDy neurons to increase ghrelin sensitivity during negative energy states. Furthermore, we suspect ghrelin targets the M-current in KNDy neurons to control reproduction and energy homeostasis. We utilized ovariectomized Tac2-EGFP adult female mice, pretreated with estradiol benzoate (EB) or oil vehicle and performed whole-cell-patch-clamp recordings to elicit the M-current in KNDy neurons using standard activation protocols in voltage-clamp. Using the selective KCNQ channel blocker XE-991 (40 µM) to target the M-current, oil- and EB-treated mice showed a decrease in the maximum peak current by 75.7 ± 13.8 pA (n = 10) and 68.0 ± 14.7 pA (n = 11), respectively. To determine the actions of ghrelin on the M-current, ghrelin was perfused (100 nM) in oil- and EB-treated mice resulting in the suppression of the maximum peak current by 58.5 ± 15.8 pA (n = 9) and 59.2 ± 11.9 pA (n = 9), respectively. KNDy neurons appeared more sensitive to ghrelin when pretreated with EB, revealing that ARC KNDy neurons are more sensitive to ghrelin during states of high E2.

Endocannabinoid Signaling at Hypothalamic Steroidogenic Factor-1/Proopiomelanocortin Synapses Is Sex- and Diet-Sensitive.

We tested the hypotheses that steroidogenic factor (SF)-1 neurons in the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMN) provide sexually disparate, endocannabinoid (EC)- and diet-sensitive glutamatergic input onto proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. Electrophysiological recordings were performed in hypothalamic slices from intact and castrated guinea pigs, along with in vitro optogenetic experiments in intact male as well as cycling and ovariectomized female NR5A1-Cre mice. In slices from castrated male and female guinea pigs, depolarized-induced suppression of excitation (DSE) time-dependently reduced the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) in POMC neurons generated by electrically stimulating the dorsomedial VMN. Androgen stimulation rapidly enhanced this DSE, which was also found in insulin-resistant, high-fat diet (HFD)-fed males. By contrast, retrograde signaling at VMN/ARC POMC synapses was markedly attenuated in periovulatory females. HFD potentiated central cannabinoid-induced hyperphagia in both males and females, but exerted differential influences on cannabinoid-induced increases in energy expenditure. In NR5A1-Cre mice, the reduction in light-evoked EPSC amplitude caused by postsynaptic depolarization in cycling females was modest in comparison to that seen in intact males. Estradiol attenuated the DSE in light-evoked EPSC amplitude in slices from ovariectomized females. Moreover, the retrograde inhibition of transmission was further accentuated in HFD-fed males. Chemogenetic activation of SF-1 neurons suppressed appetite and increased energy expenditure in males, effects which were attenuated by HFD. Conversely, energy expenditure was increased in estradiol- but not vehicle-treated ovariectomized females. Together with our previous studies indicating that DSE in POMC neurons is EC-mediated, these findings indicate that VMN SF-1/ARC POMC synapses represent a sexually differentiated, EC- and diet-sensitive anorexigenic component within the hypothalamic energy balance circuitry.

Enhanced AMPA Receptor Trafficking Mediates the Anorexigenic Effect of Endogenous Glucagon-like Peptide-1 in the Paraventricular Hypothalamus.

Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1)-expressing neurons in the hindbrain send robust projections to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), which is involved in the regulation of food intake. Here, we describe that stimulation of GLP-1 afferent fibers within the PVN is sufficient to suppress food intake independent of glutamate release. We also show that GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation augments excitatory synaptic strength in PVN corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons, with GLP-1R activation promoting a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent signaling cascade leading to phosphorylation of serine S845 on GluA1 AMPA receptors and their trafficking to the plasma membrane. Finally, we show that postnatal depletion of GLP-1R in the PVN increases food intake and causes obesity. This study provides a comprehensive multi-level (circuit, synaptic, and molecular) explanation of how food intake behavior and body weight are regulated by endogenous central GLP-1. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Testosterone Rapidly Augments Retrograde Endocannabinoid Signaling in Proopiomelanocortin Neurons to Suppress Glutamatergic Input from Steroidogenic Factor 1 Neurons via Upregulation of Diacylglycerol Lipase-α.

Testosterone exerts profound effects on reproduction and energy homeostasis. Like other orexigenic hormones, it increases endocannabinoid tone within the hypothalamic feeding circuitry. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that testosterone upregulates the expression of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL)α in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) to increase energy intake via enhanced endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde inhibition of anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. Energy intake, meal patterns, and energy expenditure were evaluated in orchidectomized, male guinea pigs treated subcutaneously with testosterone propionate (TP; 400 µg) or its sesame oil vehicle (0.1 mL). TP rapidly increased energy intake, meal size, O2 consumption, CO2 production, and metabolic heat production, all of which were antagonized by prior administration of the DAGL inhibitor orlistat (3 µg) into the third ventricle. These orlistat-sensitive, TP-induced increases in energy intake and expenditure were temporally associated with a significant elevation in ARC DAGLα expression. Electrophysiological recordings in hypothalamic slices revealed that TP potentiated depolarization-induced suppression of excitatory glutamatergic input onto identified ARC POMC neurons, which was also abolished by orlistat (3 µM), the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 µM), and the AMP-activated protein kinase inhibitor compound C (30 µM) and simulated by transient bath application of the dihydrotestosterone mimetic Cl-4AS-1 (100 nM) and testosterone-conjugated bovine serum albumin (100 nM). Thus, testosterone boosts DAGLα expression to augment retrograde, presynaptic inhibition of glutamate release onto ARC POMC neurons that, in turn, increases energy intake and expenditure. These studies advance our understanding of how androgens work within the hypothalamic feeding circuitry to affect changes in energy balance.

Estradiol Rapidly Attenuates ORL-1 Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of Proopiomelanocortin Neurons via Gq-Coupled, Membrane-Initiated Signaling.

Estradiol rapidly regulates the activity of arcuate nucleus (ARH) proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons that project to the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) to regulate lordosis. Orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N) acts via opioid receptor-like (ORL)-1 receptors to inhibit these POMC neurons. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that estradiol excites POMC neurons by rapidly attenuating inhibitory ORL-1 signaling in these cells. Hypothalamic slices through the ARH were prepared from ovariectomized rats injected with Fluorogold into the MPN. Electrophysiological recordings were generated in ARH neurons held at or near -60 mV, and neuronal phenotype was determined post hoc by immunohistofluorescence. OFQ/N application induced robust outward currents and hyperpolarizations via G protein-gated, inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels that were attenuated by pretreatment with either 17-ß estradiol (E2) or E2 conjugated to bovine serum albumin. This was blocked by the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780 and mimicked by the Gq-coupled membrane ER (Gq-mER) ligand STX and the ERα agonist PPT. Inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) blocked the estrogenic attenuation of ORL-1/GIRK currents. Antagonizing either phospholipase C (PLC), protein kinase C (PKC), protein kinase A (PKA) or neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) also abrogated E2 inhibition of ORL-1/GIRK currents, whereas activation of PKC, PKA, protein kinase B (Akt) and nNOS substrate L-arginine all attenuated the OFQ/N response. This was observed in 92 MPN-projecting, POMC-positive ARH neurons. Thus, ORL-1 receptor-mediated inhibition of POMC neurons is rapidly and negatively modulated by E2, an effect which is stereoselective and membrane initiated via Gq-mER and ERα activation that signals through PLC, PKC, PKA, PI3K and nNOS.