2022 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
A New Role for Glucose-sensing Neurons during Torpor
| Project/Area Number |
21F21406
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Center for Novel Science Initatives, National Institutes of Natural Sciences |
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Principal Investigator |
根本 知己 大学共同利用機関法人自然科学研究機構(新分野創成センター、アストロバイオロジーセンター、生命創成探究, 生命創成探究センター, 教授 (50291084)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
LEE MING-LIANG 大学共同利用機関法人自然科学研究機構(新分野創成センター、アストロバイオロジーセンター、生命創成探究, 生命創成探究センター, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-11-18 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | glucose metabolism / hypothermia / glucose sensing / torpor / body temperature |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The Q-neuron-induced hypothermia and hypometabolism (QIH) has been reported to induce hypothermia and hypometabolism. We found that the glucose homeostasis is reset quickly once the animals entered QIH, and the new homeostasis was not disturbed by fasting, a strong stimulus on glucose metabolism. The QIH animals showed many indicators of type 2 diabetes, suggesting these animals had glucose hypometabolism and were under a “diabetes-like” state. We also found that the QIH animals shows normal glucose metabolism when the body temperature was heating up. The differences of basal blood glucose, plasma insulin, and systemic glucose metabolism are fully abolished. In line with these, glucose metabolism from individual tissues of QIH animals were also clearly increase after heating up. The insulin resistance of QIH mice suggests that glucose-sensing neuron or its downstream neurons may be disturbed by QIH. We have evaluated the glucose-sensing on several hypothalamic nuclei and found the glucose-sensing was altered during QIH. In line with the above results, the glucose sensitivity of hypothalamus was at least partially recovered when the QIH animals were heating up. These results were presented at a meeting of the Japanese Physiological Society in 2023.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
We have already deciphered the glucose metabolism during QIH mice including systemic glucose metabolism and the metabolism of individual tissues. We also have had a first glance on glucose-sensing on hypothalamic nuclei. All techniques such as in vivo imaging system have been well developed and been used in other projects, and future works will be performed smoothly.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We have already understood the glucose metabolism during QIH. We also found that QIH affected glucose-sensing by assessing glucose-induced cfos expression in the hypothalamic neurons. We will verify this observation by in vivo calcium imaging. To do this, we will specifically record neuronal activity of glucose-sensing neurons by which assess glucose-sensitivity of individual glucose-sensing neurons.
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