Bdnf modulation in Fezf1 hypothalamic neuron population

Hypothalamic neuronal populations have a central role in energy balance regulation receiving peripheral signals to control responses such as satiety, food intake, and thermogenesis. Obesity is a consequence of an imbalance in this control, leading to chronic anabolism, which results from inflammatory damage of hypothalamic neurons promoted by excessive consumption of dietary fats. Thermogenesis is the body’s heat generation process and is essential for temperature maintenance in endothermic animals and maintaining physiological energy balance. Bdnf, a neurotrophic factor important for neurogenesis, differentiation, and survival of neurons, also plays a role in the energy expenditure and suppression of inflammation induced by a high-fat diet. An analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing has identified a neuronal subpopulation expressing Bdnf in the hypothalamus, Fezf1. Fezf1 neurons are crucial for the olfactory bulb development and migration of GnRH neurons. Mutations in this gene lead to Kallmann’s syndrome, characterized by delayed or absent puberty and an impaired sense of smell. However, the role of Fezf1 neurons in thermogenesis regulation and what leads them to produce Bdnf is still unknown.