Role of astrocytes, microglia, and tanycytes in brain control of systemic metabolism

Cristina García-Cáceres (1) , Eglantine Balland (2) , Vincent Prevot (3) , Serge Luquet (4, 5) , Stephen Woods (6) , Marco Koch (7) , Tamas Horvath (8) , Chun-Xia Yi (9) , Julia Chowen (10) , Alexei Verkhratsky (11, 12) , Alfonso Araque (13) , Ingo Bechmann (7) , Matthias Tschöp (1, 14)

1 German Research Center for Environmental Health - Helmholtz Center München (GmbH)
2 Monash University [Clayton]
3 JPArc - Centre de Recherche Jean-Pierre AUBERT Neurosciences et Cancer - U837
4 USPC - Université Sorbonne Paris Cité
5 UPD7 - Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7
6 UC - University of Cincinnati
7 Leipzig University / Universität Leipzig
8 Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine
9 AMC - Academic Medical Center - Academisch Medisch Centrum [Amsterdam]
10 ISC - Instituto de Salud Carlos III [Madrid]
11 Ikerbasque - Basque Foundation for Science
12 University of Manchester [Manchester]
13 University of Minnesota [MN, USA]
14 TUM - Technische Universität Munchen - Technical University Munich - Université Technique de Munich

Astrocytes, microglia, and tanycytes play active roles in the regulation of hypothalamic feeding circuits. These non-neuronal cells are crucial in determining the functional interactions of specific neuronal subpopulations involved in the control of metabolism. Recent advances in biology, optics, genetics, and pharmacology have resulted in the emergence of novel and highly sophisticated approaches for studying hypothalamic neuronal-glial networks. Here we summarize the progress in the field and argue that glial-neuronal interactions provide a core hub integrating food-related cues, interoceptive signals, and internal states to adapt a complex set of physiological responses operating on different timescales to finely tune behavior and metabolism according to metabolic status. This expanding knowledge helps to redefine our understanding of the physiology of food intake and energy metabolism.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Neurosciences [q-bio.NC]

Cristina García-Cáceres, Eglantine Balland, Vincent Prevot, Serge Luquet, Stephen Woods, et al.. Role of astrocytes, microglia, and tanycytes in brain control of systemic metabolism. Nature Neuroscience, 2019, 22 (1), pp.7-14. ⟨10.1038/s41593-018-0286-y⟩. ⟨hal-02348058⟩