Major finding on the tuberal nucleus broadens our understanding of
the brain's role in regulating metabolism and food intake, and
offers a new avenue of research that can help combat obesity
|
Figure 1: There are more activated SST neurons in the
tuberal nucleus of mice which have fasted, compared to mice which
were fed. |
|
Figure 2: There are more activated SST neurons in the
tuberal nucleus of mice which were injected with ghrelin, compared
to a control group of mice which were injected with
saline. |
|
Dr Fu Yu (L); Dr Sarah Luo (R) |
SINGAPORE, July 13, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) -
Researchers at A*STAR's Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) have
identified a new region of the mouse brain called the Tuberal
Nucleus (TN), which affects appetite and body weight. It is notable
that the TN is of a similar structure to the Nucleus Tuberalis
Lateralis (NTL) in the human brain, of which the function is
unknown. A*STAR researchers' discovery of the role of TN in
affecting appetite and body weight is a major finding for the
understanding of appetite changes in humans, and potential
treatment and prevention of eating disorders such as obesity.
SBIC's research findings were published in the peer-reviewed
journal Science on 6 July 2018.
Past research has shown a strong correlation between
neurodegenerative diseases and eating disorders. While
neurodegenerative disease patients often show changes in appetite
and metabolism, the neural mechanisms involved are not known.
Specific pathological changes in NTL have been found in patients
suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, but the functional
consequence is unknown. The notion of NTL's role in regulating food
intake has never been tested either.
Until SBIC's in-depth study and subsequent discovery, the roles of
the mouse TN or human NTL, located in the hypothalamus of the
brain, remained a mystery.
Dr Fu Yu and his research team from SBIC found that somatostatin
(SST) neurons in the tuberal nucleus (TN) played a crucial role in
regulating feeding in mice. In the team's experiments, mice either
fasted overnight, or were injected with ghrelin - a gut hormone
which triggers hunger sensations. Results showed that these
procedures led to a spike in SST neuron activity, indicating that
these neurons were activated by hunger and likely involved in
feeding regulation.
Figure 1: There are more activated SST neurons in the tuberal
nucleus of mice which have fasted, compared to mice which were fed.
https://bit.ly/2LcAmod
Figure 2: There are more activated SST neurons in the tuberal
nucleus of mice which were injected with ghrelin, compared to a
control group of mice which were injected with saline.
https://bit.ly/2L2ivTZ
Overnight fasting or an injection of the hunger hormone ghrelin
showed an increased activity in SST neurons in the tuberal nucleus,
as represented by the increase in white arrows in Figure 1 and
2.
To validate its findings, the team used the methods of
chemogenetics and optogenetics that acted as biological switches to
precisely manipulate SST neuron activity in the TN of another group
of mice.
These experiments demonstrated that activating SST neurons promoted
food intake, suppressing SST neurons reduced food intake, and
removal of SST neurons reduced body weight gain. The optogenetic
experiment also showed that SST neurons could control various brain
regions known to influence feeding regulation, such as the
paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and bed nucleus of stria terminalis
(BNST).
Prof Patrick J. Cozzone, Executive Director of SBIC said, "We are
excited by these findings which will have far-reaching implications
for human health. The success of this research study underscores
the importance of multi-disciplinary and collaborative research to
achieve major discoveries in modern biomedical sciences."
Dr Fu Yu, group leader of SBIC's research team, said "Our study
showed that the homologous structure of human NTL does exist in
mice, and revealed the first function of tuberal nucleus, hence
providing fresh evidence on how the brain controls appetite and
body weight. The discovery of the tuberal nucleus' function is a
game-changer in the study of neural regulation of metabolism and
food intake, and opens up a possible pathway towards managing
eating disorders such as obesity, a global epidemic and a major
cause of health problems such as diabetes."
Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases in Singapore,
and imposes a heavy economic and health burden on society. SBIC's
research findings on how the brain regulates metabolism and food
intake will complement A*STAR's research and development efforts in
addressing the related conditions of obesity and diabetes.
Moving forward, the team plans to study the genetic profile of SST
neurons in TN and their impact on metabolic disregulations in
neurodegenerative diseases. This could lead to new therapeutic
targets for metabolic diseases.
For more information on the research, please refer to the paper
"Regulating of feeding by somatostatin neurons in the tuberal
nucleus", published online by peer-reviewed journal Science on 6
July 2018.
Link to online version:
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6397/76
For more information on SBIC's research team, please refer to Annex
A.
For media queries, please contact:
Ms Lynn Hong
Assistant Head, Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Tel: +65 6419 6597
Email: hongxl@hq.a-star.edu.sg
About A*STAR's Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC)
The Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) under the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), is a leading preclinical
bioimaging platform in the world. With a multidisciplinary team of
biologists, physiologists, chemists, physicists,
electrical/electronic engineers, computer scientists, and
clinicians, SBIC investigates human diseases which are major public
health issues using molecular physiology and advanced bioimaging
tools, in a translational and pivotal mode with the medical
community and industrial partners. SBIC also works on strategic
bioimaging projects, including the development of novel imaging
probes. As a national consortium, SBIC aims to harness existing
imaging expertise and capabilities in Singapore, bringing together
substantial strengths in the physical sciences and engineering with
those in the biomedical and clinical sciences. Through an array of
focused collaborations and joint appointments, SBIC fosters and
supports the growth of multidisciplinary research activities in the
field of bioimaging across local research institutes, universities
and hospitals, in order to accelerate the development of biomedical
research discoveries. SBIC has a unique capacity to promote rapid
transfers of results in animal and human imaging research into the
clinical environment, to the immediate benefit of patients. It also
ensures the development of financially sound and sustainable
contractual research with industrial partners (pharma, food &
nutrition, and personal care). SBIC currently operates five joint
laboratories with industrial partners under the form of
public-private partnerships. For more information about SBIC,
please visit www.sbic.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is
Singapore's lead public sector agency that spearheads economic
oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop
innovative technology. Through open innovation, we collaborate with
our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit
society.
As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap
between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth
and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by contributing to
societal benefits such as improving outcomes in healthcare, urban
living, and sustainability.
We play a key role in nurturing and developing a diversity of
talent and leaders in our Agency and research entities, the wider
research community and industry. A*STAR's R&D activities span
biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering, with
research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis.
For ongoing news, visit www.a-star.edu.sg.
ANNEX A
About SBIC's Research Team
The success of this research study is a result of the combined
efforts of SBIC's scientific talents in neurosciences, physiology,
molecular biology and advanced neuroimaging. The research study is
led by Dr Fu Yu, a recipient of the A*STAR Investigatorship, which
aims to nurture promising young researchers, and provide them with
the opportunity to conduct independent research at A*STAR, and
groom next-generation scientific leaders. Dr Fu's team comprises 12
researchers which includes Dr Sarah Luo, who is the first author of
the article in the journal Science, and a scholar at A*STAR.
Source: A*STAR's Singapore Bioimaging Consortium
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.