Neural mechanisms regulating glucose homeostasis

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is the major form of human diabetes, accounting for approximately 90–95% of diagnosed diabetes cases in the United States. Our goal in this proposal is to elucidate a novel neural mechanism of glucose regulation that could significantly advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of T2D. The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS), traditionally viewed as a cardiovascular regulatory system, has recently emerged as a critical part of metabolic and energy-expenditure signaling systems.

However, whether the brain RAS play a role in glycemia regulation, and if so, via what signaling mechanisms, constitute major gaps in our knowledge. The (pro)renin receptor (PRR), a key component of the RAS, mediates both formation of angiotensin II (Ang II) – a major bioactive peptide of the RAS – and Ang II-independent signaling in the central nervous system (CNS).

In this proposal, we provide important preliminary data supporting the concept that the PRR in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, termed THPVN neurons, is a novel modulator of glycemia. Accordingly, this proposal seeks to uncover a novel role of THPVN neurons and the PRR in the regulation of glycemia and investigate the underlying molecular and synaptic mechanisms.

Our central hypothesis is that that PRR signaling in THPVN neurons drives autonomic responses that impair glucose homeostasis, and that activation of this neural pathway contributes to glucose metabolic impairment during HFD consumption. To test this hypothesis, we will use a multidisciplinary approach combining in vivo telemetric glucose monitoring, chemogenic techniques employing DREADDs (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs), in vitro electrophysiology, and TH neuron-specific targeting in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Successful completion of the proposed project will advance our understanding of a novel role and mechanisms of the brain PRR and THPVN neurons in the autonomic regulation of glucose homeostasis and provide a potential therapeutic target for T2D.