TAp63 contributes to sexual dimorphism in POMC neuron functions and energy homeostasis.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29670083.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-03796-7 and PMC identifier 5906443.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism exists in energy balance, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that the female mice have more pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus than males, and female POMC neurons display higher neural activities, compared to male counterparts. Strikingly, deletion of the transcription factor, TAp63, in POMC neurons confers "male-like" diet-induced obesity (DIO) in female mice associated with decreased POMC neural activities; but the same deletion does not affect male mice. Our results indicate that TAp63 in female POMC neurons contributes to the enhanced POMC neuron functions and resistance to obesity in females. Thus, TAp63 in POMC neurons is one key molecular driver for the sexual dimorphism in energy homeostasis.
Medical subject headings
- Neurons
- Phosphoproteins
- Pro-Opiomelanocortin
- Sex Characteristics
- Trans-Activators