Mechanisms of Cross‐Talk between Leptin and Angiotensin within the Arcuate Nucleus for the Control of Metabolic Rate

Recent studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that within the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC), angiotensin II (ANG) type 1A receptors (AT 1A ) are expressed by the subset of neurons which express both the leptin receptor (LepR) and agouti‐related peptide (AgRP). AT 1A expression in this subpopulation of AgRP neurons is critically involved in the integrative control of thermogenic adipose sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and thereby resting metabolic rate (RMR) by various stimuli including leptin. It remains unclear, however, how LepR signaling results in AT 1A activation within AgRP neurons. We hypothesize that activation of LepR (i) increases de novo synthesis of AGT and thus autocrine and/or paracrine ANG signaling within the ARC, and (ii) increases AT 1A expression and trafficking to the cell membrane, increasing AgRP neuron sensitivity to ANG. Consistent with our first hypothesis, AGT is co‐localized within the ARC of C57BL/6J mice with cells expressing AgRP and LepR, as determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization and confocal microscopy. Studies of an immortalized mouse hypothalamic cell line (N43/5 cells, which exhibit a gene signature typical of AgRP cells) demonstrate that AGT mRNA is increased in response to leptin treatment. Selective genetic disruption of the AGT gene in LepR or AgRP neurons (AGT LepR‐KO and AGT AgRP‐KO mice) has no effect on energy flux under baseline chow‐fed conditions, though ongoing studies are focused on examining metabolic responses of these animals to high fat diet and leptin. Consistent with our second hypothesis, leptin application to N43/5 cells results in increased AT 1A mRNA, and leptin injection in wildtype C57BL/6J mice increases AT 1A mRNA in the ARC. Ongoing studies utilizing the new HiBiT‐tagging system (Promega) support cell surface localization of AT 1A in the N43/5 cell line, which is increased by leptin treatment and reduced by ANG application. Ongoing studies are aimed at (i) examining the roles of pSTAT3, PI3K and ERK in the stimulation of AGT and AT 1A expression by leptin, (ii) further characterizing AGT LepR‐KO and AGT AgRP‐KO mice by examining SNA and RMR in response to high fat diet and leptin, and (iii) using the HiBiT extracellular detection system to clarify the mechanism(s) by which leptin modulates cell surface localization of AT 1A . This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .