Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 May 7:10:286.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00286. eCollection 2019.

Tanycyte Gene Expression Dynamics in the Regulation of Energy Homeostasis

Fanny Langlet  1
Affiliations
Review

Tanycyte Gene Expression Dynamics in the Regulation of Energy Homeostasis

Fanny Langlet. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Animal survival relies on a constant balance between energy supply and energy expenditure, which is controlled by several neuroendocrine functions that integrate metabolic information and adapt the response of the organism to physiological demands. Polarized ependymoglial cells lining the floor of the third ventricle and sending a single process within metabolic hypothalamic parenchyma, tanycytes are henceforth described as key components of the hypothalamic neural network controlling energy balance. Their strategic position and peculiar properties convey them diverse physiological functions ranging from blood/brain traffic controllers, metabolic modulators, and neural stem/progenitor cells. At the molecular level, these functions rely on an accurate regulation of gene expression. Indeed, tanycytes are characterized by their own molecular signature which is mostly associated to their diverse physiological functions, and the detection of variations in nutrient/hormone levels leads to an adequate modulation of genetic profile in order to ensure energy homeostasis. The aim of this review is to summarize recent knowledge on the nutritional control of tanycyte gene expression.

Keywords: energy balance; gene expression; hypothalamus; metabolic sensing; tanycyte.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Is tanycyte subtype classification obsolete? (A) Tanycytes are polarized ependymoglial cells lining the basal part of the third ventricle (3V), visualized by vimentin immunostaining (white). (B) Tanycytes have been classified in four subtypes (β1, β2, α1, and α2). (C) Tanycytes (light gray) are morphologically distinguished from classical multiciliated cuboidal ependymal cells (dark gray). They send a single long radial process into the mediobasal hypothalamus including the median eminence (ME), the arcuate nucleus (ARH), the ventromedial nucleus (VMH), and the dorsomedial nucleus (DMH). Tanycytes lining the ME and vmARH are uniciliated cells, contact fenestrated vessels (red) and carry blood/brain barrier (green), whereas tanycytes lining the dmARH, the VMH and the DMH are biciliated cells, and contact neurons and blood/brain barrier vessels (pink/green). In the vmARH, vessels are permeable or not according to the energy status of the individual (red/green dashes). (D) Many genes exhibite a gradient, rather than a clear-cut distribution across tanycyte subpopulations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gene expression control by hormones and nutrients. Transcription factors and nuclear receptor are activated by extracellular signals, such as hormones, which may directly induce a transcriptional response to changes in metabolic state. In addition, nutrients are metabolized by the cells. Some components of intermediary metabolism are cofactors or co-substrates of chromatin-modifying enzymes, which may affect chromatin structure and gene expression. Finally, some metabolic enzymes also act as regulators of chromatin and transcription factors (113, 114). TF, transcription factors; CRE, cis-regulatory element.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Luquet S, Magnan C. The central nervous system at the core of the regulation of energy homeostasis. Front Biosci. (2009) 1:448–65. 10.2741/e37 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leibowitz SF, Wortley KE. Hypothalamic control of energy balance: different peptides, different functions. Peptides. (2004) 25:473–504. 10.1016/j.peptides.2004.02.006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Langlet F. Tanycytes: a gateway to the metabolic hypothalamus. J Neuroendocrinol. (2014) 26:753–60. 10.1111/jne.12191 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bolborea M, Dale N. Hypothalamic tanycytes: potential roles in the control of feeding and energy balance. Trends Neurosci. (2013) 36:91–100. 10.1016/j.tins.2012.12.008 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Prevot V, Dehouck B, Sharif A, Ciofi P, Giacobini P, Clasadonte J. The versatile tanycyte: a hypothalamic integrator of reproduction and energy metabolism. Endocr Rev. (2018) 39:333–68. 10.1210/er.2017-00235 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources