title: Anatomical relationship between specialized astrocytes and leptin-sensitive neurones.
abstract: We have previously reported that a specialized subpopulation of astrocytes in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus show an unusually intense immunoreactivity for brain fatty acid binding protein (bFABP). Since bFABP has been shown to regulate the activity of an enzyme, fatty acid synthase, that has a potent influence upon the regulation of feeding by the hypothalamus, it was of interest to determine if bFABP + astrocytes are positioned to potentially influence the activity of feeding-regulating neurones. In this study, we examined the anatomical relationship between specialized arcuate astrocytes immunoreactive for bFABP and feeding-regulating neurones that are responsive to leptin and which are immunoreactive for the transcription factor STAT3. The results show that both cell types are abundant in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and are frequently closely adjacent to each other. This study provides an anatomical basis for the possibility that specialized arcuate astrocytes regulate the function of leptin-sensitive, feeding-regulating neurones of the arcuate nucleus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20059, USA. jyoung@howard.edu
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020738:Leptin / Q000502:physiology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C490174:Fabp7 protein, rat; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D020738:Leptin; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494088:Stat3 protein, rat; D015534:Trans-Activators