Whole Transcriptome Analysis of Hypothalamus in Mice during Short-Term Starvation

Molecular profiling of the hypothalamus in response to metabolic shifts is a critical cue to better understand the principle of the central control of whole-body energy metabolism. The transcriptional responses of the rodent hypothalamus to short-term calorie restriction have been documented. However, studies on the identification of hypothalamic secretory factors that potentially contribute to the control of appetite are lacking. In this study, we analyzed the differential expression of hypothalamic genes and compared the selected secretory factors from the fasted mice with those of fed control mice using bulk RNA-sequencing. We verified seven secretory genes that were significantly altered in the hypothalamus of fasted mice. In addition, we determined the response of secretory genes in cultured hypothalamic cells to treatment with ghrelin and leptin. The current study provides further insights into the neuronal response to food restriction at the molecular level and may be useful for understanding the hypothalamic control of appetite.