Molecular Signals Underlying Tanycyte–Neural Cell Interactions
A recent study from our laboratory showed that 30% of tanycyte contacts are established with neurons, suggesting close communication between tanycytes and neurons. Furthermore, growing evidence indicates that, after detecting the nutritional status, tanycytes convey metabolic information to neurons. Notably, changes have been described in glial coverage, the number and ratio of synaptic inputs on metabolic neurons, neuronal gene expression (e.g., Npy, Agrp, Pomc), activity (e.g., cFos, pERK, pSTAT3), and firing. However, many questions remain regarding the glial signals underlying tanycyte–neuron communication in the regulation of energy balance.
Transcriptomic analyses have shown that tanycytes express numerous secreted signaling molecules whose levels are differentially regulated by metabolic state. Using multidisciplinary approaches, we aim to identify the tanycyte-derived signals that mediate communication with neurons to regulate energy balance.
Our projects include:
- Defining the tanycyte secretome
- Investigating how the expression of these signals is regulated by metabolic state
- Identifying target cells in the hypothalamic parenchyma
- Determining the physiological consequences of tanycyte–neuron communication