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Hypothalamic AMPK-ER Stress-JNK1 Axis Mediates the Central Actions of Thyroid Hormones on Energy Balance
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Hypothalamic AMPK-ER Stress-JNK1 Axis Mediates the Central Actions of Thyroid Hormones on Energy Balance

Noelia Martínez-Sánchez, Patricia Seoane-Collazo, Cristina Contreras, Luis Varela, Joan Villarroya, Eva Rial-Pensado, Xabier Buqué, Igor Aurrekoetxea, Teresa C Delgado, Rafael Vázquez-Martínez, …
Cell metabolism, Vol.26(1), pp.212-229.e12
07/05/2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.014
PMCID: PMC5501726
PMID: 28683288
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.014View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Thyroid hormones (THs) act in the brain to modulate energy balance. We show that central triiodothyronine (T3) regulates de novo lipogenesis in liver and lipid oxidation in brown adipose tissue (BAT) through the parasympathetic (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), respectively. Central T3 promotes hepatic lipogenesis with parallel stimulation of the thermogenic program in BAT. The action of T3 depends on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-induced regulation of two signaling pathways in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH): decreased ceramide-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which promotes BAT thermogenesis, and increased c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, which controls hepatic lipid metabolism. Of note, ablation of AMPKα1 in steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) neurons of the VMH fully recapitulated the effect of central T3, pointing to this population in mediating the effect of central THs on metabolism. Overall, these findings uncover the underlying pathways through which central T3 modulates peripheral metabolism. [Display omitted] •Central T3 regulates lipogenesis in liver via the parasympathetic nervous system•Central T3 regulates lipid oxidation in BAT via the sympathetic nervous system•Ablation of AMPK in SF1 neurons of the VMH recapitulates the effects of T3•Hypothalamic JNK1 and ceramides/ER stress mediate T3 actions on liver and BAT Martínez-Sánchez et al. show that thyroid hormones act in the hypothalamus to regulate hepatic lipogenesis and brown fat lipid oxidation via the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. These peripheral effects are orchestrated by two distinct signaling pathways in the VMH, JNK1 and ceramides/ER stress, which are under AMPK control.
VMH autonomic nervous system liver BAT thyroid hormones ER stress JNK1 AMPK ceramides SF1

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