title: The Circadian Clock in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Controls Cyclic Energy Expenditure.
abstract: Organismal homeostasis relies on coherent interactions among tissues, specifically between brain-driven functions and peripheral metabolic organs. Hypothalamic circuits compute metabolic information to optimize energetic resources, but the role of the circadian clock in these pathways remains unclear. We have generated mice with targeted ablation of the core-clock gene Bmal1 within Sf1-neurons of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). While this mutation does not affect the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the VMH clock controls cyclic thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), a tissue that governs energy balance by dissipating chemical energy as heat. VMH-driven control is exerted through increased adrenergic signaling within the sympathetic nervous system, without affecting the BAT's endogenous clock. Moreover, we show that the VMH circadian clock computes light and feeding inputs to modulate basal energy expenditure. Thus, we reveal a previously unsuspected circuit where an SCN-independent, hypothalamic circadian clock controls BAT function, energy expenditure, and thermogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, Unite 904 INSERM, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orozco-Solis
authors.affiliation: Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, Unite 904 INSERM, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Arnal
authors.affiliation: Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, Unite 904 INSERM, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, Unite 904 INSERM, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peruquetti
authors.affiliation: CMU Departement Phyme, Universite de Geneve, rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramadori
authors.affiliation: CMU Departement Phyme, Universite de Geneve, rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coppari
authors.affiliation: Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, Unite 904 INSERM, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. Electronic address: psc@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sassone-Corsi
mesh_terms: D056930:ARNTL Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000502:physiology; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D057906:Circadian Clocks; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D057507:Mice, 129 Strain; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D022722:Thermogenesis
chemical_list: D056930:ARNTL Transcription Factors; C538961:Bmal1 protein, mouse; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins