Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Glial Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7 (FABP7) Regulates Neuronal Leptin Sensitivity in the Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus

  • Published:
Molecular Neurobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The hypothalamus is involved in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis. The arcuate nucleus (ARC) and median eminence (ME) are the primary hypothalamic sites that sense leptin and nutrients in the blood, thereby mediating food intake. Recently, studies demonstrating a role for non-neuronal cell types, including astrocytes and tanycytes, in these regulatory processes have begun to emerge. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in these activities remain largely unknown. In this study, we examined in detail the localization of fatty acid-binding protein 7 (FABP7) in the hypothalamic ARC and sought to determine its role in the hypothalamus. We performed a phenotypic analysis of diet-induced FABP7 knockout (KO) obese mice and of FABP7 KO mice treated with a single leptin injection. Immunohistochemistry revealed that FABP7+ cells are NG2+ or GFAP+ in the ARC and ME. In mice fed a high-fat diet, weight gain and food intake were lower in FABP7 KO mice than in wild-type (WT) mice. FABP7 KO mice also had lower food intake and weight gain after a single injection of leptin, and we consistently confirmed that the number of pSTAT3+ cells in the ARC indicated that the leptin-induced activation of neurons was significantly more frequent in FABP7 KO mice than in WT mice. In FABP7 KO mice-derived primary astrocyte cultures, the level of ERK phosphorylation was lower after leptin treatment. Collectively, these results indicate that in hypothalamic astrocytes, FABP7 might be involved in sensing neuronal leptin via glia-mediated mechanisms and plays a pivotal role in controlling systemic energy homeostasis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Myers MG Jr, Olson DP (2012) Central nervous system control of metabolism. Nature 491(7424):357–363. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11705

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Rodriguez EM, Blazquez JL, Guerra M (2010) The design of barriers in the hypothalamus allows the median eminence and the arcuate nucleus to enjoy private milieus: The former opens to the portal blood and the latter to the cerebrospinal fluid. Peptides 31(4):757–776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2010.01.003

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Schwartz MW, Woods SC, Porte D Jr, Seeley RJ, Baskin DG (2000) Central nervous system control of food intake. Nature 404(6778):661–671. https://doi.org/10.1038/35007534

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cone RD (2005) Anatomy and regulation of the central melanocortin system. Nat Neurosci 8(5):571–578. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1455

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Cowley MA, Smart JL, Rubinstein M, Cerdan MG, Diano S, Horvath TL, Cone RD, Low MJ (2001) Leptin activates anorexigenic POMC neurons through a neural network in the arcuate nucleus. Nature 411(6836):480–484. https://doi.org/10.1038/35078085

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Lin HV, Plum L, Ono H, Gutierrez-Juarez R, Shanabrough M, Borok E, Horvath TL, Rossetti L et al (2010) Divergent regulation of energy expenditure and hepatic glucose production by insulin receptor in agouti-related protein and POMC neurons. Diabetes 59(2):337–346. https://doi.org/10.2337/db09-1303

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Ghasemi R, Haeri A, Dargahi L, Mohamed Z, Ahmadiani A (2013) Insulin in the brain: Sources, localization and functions. Mol Neurobiol 47(1):145–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-012-8339-9

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Marty N, Dallaporta M, Thorens B (2007) Brain glucose sensing, counterregulation, and energy homeostasis. Physiology (Bethesda) 22:241–251. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00010.2007

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kang L, Routh VH, Kuzhikandathil EV, Gaspers LD, Levin BE (2004) Physiological and molecular characteristics of rat hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus glucosensing neurons. Diabetes 53(3):549–559

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Cowley MA, Smith RG, Diano S, Tschop M, Pronchuk N, Grove KL, Strasburger CJ, Bidlingmaier M et al (2003) The distribution and mechanism of action of ghrelin in the CNS demonstrates a novel hypothalamic circuit regulating energy homeostasis. Neuron 37(4):649–661

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. van den Top M, Lee K, Whyment AD, Blanks AM, Spanswick D (2004) Orexigen-sensitive NPY/AgRP pacemaker neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. Nat Neurosci 7(5):493–494. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1226

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Argente-Arizon P, Freire-Regatillo A, Argente J, Chowen JA (2015) Role of non-neuronal cells in body weight and appetite control. Front Endocrinol 6:42. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2015.00042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Pan W, Hsuchou H, He Y, Sakharkar A, Cain C, Yu C, Kastin AJ (2008) Astrocyte leptin receptor (ObR) and leptin transport in adult-onset obese mice. Endocrinology 149(6):2798–2806. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2007-1673

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Hsuchou H, He Y, Kastin AJ, Tu H, Markadakis EN, Rogers RC, Fossier PB, Pan W (2009) Obesity induces functional astrocytic leptin receptors in hypothalamus. Brain : J Neurol 132(Pt 4):889–902. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Kim JG, Suyama S, Koch M, Jin S, Argente-Arizon P, Argente J, Liu ZW, Zimmer MR et al (2014) Leptin signaling in astrocytes regulates hypothalamic neuronal circuits and feeding. Nat Neurosci 17(7):908–910. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3725

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Horvath TL, Sarman B, Garcia-Caceres C, Enriori PJ, Sotonyi P, Shanabrough M, Borok E, Argente J et al (2010) Synaptic input organization of the melanocortin system predicts diet-induced hypothalamic reactive gliosis and obesity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(33):14875–14880. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1004282107

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Pan W, Hsuchou H, Xu C, Wu X, Bouret SG, Kastin AJ (2011) Astrocytes modulate distribution and neuronal signaling of leptin in the hypothalamus of obese a vy mice. J Mol Neurosci : MN 43(3):478–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-010-9470-6

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Thaler JP, Yi CX, Schur EA, Guyenet SJ, Hwang BH, Dietrich MO, Zhao X, Sarruf DA et al (2012) Obesity is associated with hypothalamic injury in rodents and humans. J Clin Invest 122(1):153–162. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI59660

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Martin-Jimenez CA, Gaitan-Vaca DM, Echeverria V, Gonzalez J, Barreto GE (2016) Relationship between obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease: An Astrocentric view. Mol Neurobiol 54:7096–7115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-016-0193-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Ockner RK, Manning JA, Poppenhausen RB, Ho WK (1972) A binding protein for fatty acids in cytosol of intestinal mucosa, liver, myocardium, and other tissues. Science 177(4043):56–58

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Alpers DH, Strauss AW, Ockner RK, Bass NM, Gordon JI (1984) Cloning of a cDNA encoding rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 81(2):313–317

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Tweedie S, Edwards Y (1989) cDNA sequence for mouse heart fatty acid binding protein, H-FABP. Nucleic Acids Res 17(11):4374

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Kurtz A, Zimmer A, Schnutgen F, Bruning G, Spener F, Muller T (1994) The expression pattern of a novel gene encoding brain-fatty acid binding protein correlates with neuronal and glial cell development. Development 120(9):2637–2649

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Haunerland NH, Spener F (2004) Fatty acid-binding proteins--insights from genetic manipulations. Prog Lipid Res 43(4):328–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2004.05.001

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Chmurzynska A (2006) The multigene family of fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs): Function, structure and polymorphism. J Appl Genet 47(1):39–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03194597

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Furuhashi M, Hotamisligil GS (2008) Fatty acid-binding proteins: Role in metabolic diseases and potential as drug targets. Nat Rev Drug Discov 7(6):489–503. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2589

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Wolfrum C, Borrmann CM, Borchers T, Spener F (2001) Fatty acids and hypolipidemic drugs regulate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha - and gamma-mediated gene expression via liver fatty acid binding protein: A signaling path to the nucleus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98(5):2323–2328. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.051619898

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Glatz JF, Borchers T, Spener F, van der Vusse GJ (1995) Fatty acids in cell signalling: Modulation by lipid binding proteins. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fat Acids 52(2–3):121–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Jefferson JR, Powell DM, Rymaszewski Z, Kukowska-Latallo J, Lowe JB, Schroeder F (1990) Altered membrane structure in transfected mouse L-cell fibroblasts expressing rat liver fatty acid-binding protein. J Biol Chem 265(19):11062–11068

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Sharifi K, Morihiro Y, Maekawa M, Yasumoto Y, Hoshi H, Adachi Y, Sawada T, Tokuda N et al (2011) FABP7 expression in normal and stab-injured brain cortex and its role in astrocyte proliferation. Histochem Cell Biol 136(5):501–513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-011-0865-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Kagawa Y, Yasumoto Y, Sharifi K, Ebrahimi M, Islam A, Miyazaki H, Yamamoto Y, Sawada T et al (2015) Fatty acid-binding protein 7 regulates function of caveolae in astrocytes through expression of caveolin-1. Glia 63(5):780–794. https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.22784

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Owada Y, Abdelwahab SA, Kitanaka N, Sakagami H, Takano H, Sugitani Y, Sugawara M, Kawashima H et al (2006) Altered emotional behavioral responses in mice lacking brain-type fatty acid-binding protein gene. Eur J Neurosci 24(1):175–187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04855.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Maniscalco JW, Rinaman L (2014) Systemic leptin dose-dependently increases STAT3 phosphorylation within hypothalamic and hindbrain nuclei. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 306(8):R576–R585. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00017.2014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Ellacott KL, Halatchev IG, Cone RD (2006) Characterization of leptin-responsive neurons in the caudal brainstem. Endocrinology 147(7):3190–3195. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2005-0877

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Lein ES, Hawrylycz MJ, Ao N, Ayres M, Bensinger A, Bernard A, Boe AF, Boguski MS et al (2007) Genome-wide atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brain. Nature 445(7124):168–176. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05453

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Cortes-Campos C, Elizondo R, Carril C, Martinez F, Boric K, Nualart F, Garcia-Robles MA (2013) MCT2 expression and lactate influx in anorexigenic and orexigenic neurons of the arcuate nucleus. PLoS One 8(4):e62532. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062532

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Langlet F, Levin BE, Luquet S, Mazzone M, Messina A, Dunn-Meynell AA, Balland E, Lacombe A et al (2013) Tanycytic VEGF-A boosts blood-hypothalamus barrier plasticity and access of metabolic signals to the arcuate nucleus in response to fasting. Cell Metab 17(4):607–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2013.03.004

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Balland E, Dam J, Langlet F, Caron E, Steculorum S, Messina A, Rasika S, Falluel-Morel A et al (2014) Hypothalamic tanycytes are an ERK-gated conduit for leptin into the brain. Cell Metab 19(2):293–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.015

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Broadwell RD, Brightman MW (1976) Entry of peroxidase into neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems from extracerebral and cerebral blood. J Comp Neurol 166(3):257–283. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.901660302

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Faouzi M, Leshan R, Bjornholm M, Hennessey T, Jones J, Munzberg H (2007) Differential accessibility of circulating leptin to individual hypothalamic sites. Endocrinology 148(11):5414–5423. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2007-0655

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Norsted E, Gomuc B, Meister B (2008) Protein components of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the mediobasal hypothalamus. J Chem Neuroanat 36(2):107–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchemneu.2008.06.002

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Obici S, Feng Z, Morgan K, Stein D, Karkanias G, Rossetti L (2002) Central administration of oleic acid inhibits glucose production and food intake. Diabetes 51(2):271–275

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Lam TK, Pocai A, Gutierrez-Juarez R, Obici S, Bryan J, Aguilar-Bryan L, Schwartz GJ, Rossetti L (2005) Hypothalamic sensing of circulating fatty acids is required for glucose homeostasis. Nat Med 11(3):320–327. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1201

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Pocai A, Lam TK, Obici S, Gutierrez-Juarez R, Muse ED, Arduini A, Rossetti L (2006) Restoration of hypothalamic lipid sensing normalizes energy and glucose homeostasis in overfed rats. J Clin Invest 116(4):1081–1091. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI26640

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Le Foll C, Dunn-Meynell A, Musatov S, Magnan C, Levin BE (2013) FAT/CD36: A major regulator of neuronal fatty acid sensing and energy homeostasis in rats and mice. Diabetes 62(8):2709–2716. https://doi.org/10.2337/db12-1689

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Taib B, Bouyakdan K, Hryhorczuk C, Rodaros D, Fulton S, Alquier T (2013) Glucose regulates hypothalamic long-chain fatty acid metabolism via AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in neurons and astrocytes. J Biol Chem 288(52):37216–37229. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M113.506238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Young JK (2002) Anatomical relationship between specialized astrocytes and leptin-sensitive neurones. J Anat 201(1):85–90. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00068.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Ebrahimi M, Yamamoto Y, Sharifi K, Kida H, Kagawa Y, Yasumoto Y, Islam A, Miyazaki H et al (2016) Astrocyte-expressed FABP7 regulates dendritic morphology and excitatory synaptic function of cortical neurons. Glia 64(1):48–62. https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.22902

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Garcia-Caceres C, Fuente-Martin E, Burgos-Ramos E, Granado M, Frago LM, Barrios V, Horvath T, Argente J et al (2011) Differential acute and chronic effects of leptin on hypothalamic astrocyte morphology and synaptic protein levels. Endocrinology 152(5):1809–1818. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2010-1252

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  50. Fuente-Martin E, Garcia-Caceres C, Granado M, de Ceballos ML, Sanchez-Garrido MA, Sarman B, Liu ZW, Dietrich MO et al (2012) Leptin regulates glutamate and glucose transporters in hypothalamic astrocytes. J Clin Invest 122(11):3900–3913. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI64102

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  51. Gao S, Kinzig KP, Aja S, Scott KA, Keung W, Kelly S, Strynadka K, Chohnan S et al (2007) Leptin activates hypothalamic acetyl-CoA carboxylase to inhibit food intake. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104(44):17358–17363. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0708385104

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  52. Chen N, Sugihara H, Kim J, Fu Z, Barak B, Sur M, Feng G, Han W (2016) Direct modulation of GFAP-expressing glia in the arcuate nucleus bi-directionally regulates feeding. elife 5. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18716

  53. Sweeney P, Qi Y, Xu Z, Yang Y (2016) Activation of hypothalamic astrocytes suppresses feeding without altering emotional states. Glia 64(12):2263–2273. https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.23073

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Dawson MR, Polito A, Levine JM, Reynolds R (2003) NG2-expressing glial progenitor cells: An abundant and widespread population of cycling cells in the adult rat CNS. Mol Cell Neurosci 24(2):476–488

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Peters A (2004) A fourth type of neuroglial cell in the adult central nervous system. J Neurocytol 33(3):345–357. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NEUR.0000044195.64009.27

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Robins SC, Trudel E, Rotondi O, Liu X, Djogo T, Kryzskaya D, Bourque CW, Kokoeva MV (2013) Evidence for NG2-glia derived, adult-born functional neurons in the hypothalamus. PLoS One 8(10):e78236. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078236

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Djogo T, Robins SC, Schneider S, Kryzskaya D, Liu X, Mingay A, Gillon CJ, Kim JH et al (2016) Adult NG2-glia are required for median eminence-mediated leptin sensing and body weight control. Cell Metab 23(5):797–810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.04.013

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Sharifi K, Ebrahimi M, Kagawa Y, Islam A, Tuerxun T, Yasumoto Y, Hara T, Yamamoto Y et al (2013) Differential expression and regulatory roles of FABP5 and FABP7 in oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Cell Tissue Res 354(3):683–695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-013-1730-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Professor W. Stallcup for gifting the anti-NG2 and anti-PDGFRα antibodies. This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 16K12735, 16H06616 and Tohoku University Center for the Gender Equality Promotion Start-up Grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yuki Yasumoto or Yuji Owada.

Ethics declarations

All experimental procedures involving mice were approved by the Institute of Laboratory Animals of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and carried out according to the Guidelines for Animal Experimentation of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and according to the laws and notification requirements of the Japanese government.

Electronic supplementary material

Supplemental Fig. 1

WAT and T-CHO were significantly lower in FABP7 KO mice than in WT mice fed a HFD for 12 weeks. (a) Weight of EWAT (g), (b-f) Serum blood glucose (mg/dL), TG (mg/dL), FFA (mg/dL), T-CHO (mg/dL), and ALT (mg/dL) levels in WT and FABP7 KO mice fed a control diet or HFD. The data are presented as the mean ± SEM (n = 5) and are representative of three independent experiments. *p < 0.05, analyzed using Student’s t tests. (GIF 54 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 919 kb)

Supplemental Fig. 2

HFD did not alter FABP7 levels in the ARC and ME. (a) qPCR results showing the expression of FABP7 in the ARC and ME. The data are presented as the mean ± SEM (n = 4) and were analyzed using Student’s t tests. STD: standard diet, HFD: high fat diet (b) The total number of FABP7+ cells in the ARC. The data are presented as the mean ± SEM in 4 sections (n = 4) and were analyzed using Student’s t tests. (c) Representative images of FABP7 labeling in the ARC and ME. Scale bars = 50 μm. (GIF 89 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 1173 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yasumoto, Y., Miyazaki, H., Ogata, M. et al. Glial Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7 (FABP7) Regulates Neuronal Leptin Sensitivity in the Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus. Mol Neurobiol 55, 9016–9028 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-018-1033-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-018-1033-9

Keywords

Navigation