Hypothalamic BCL6 signaling modulates energy homeostasis and metabolism by inhibiting STAT3 transcription

B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 6 (BCL6) has been implicated in regulating energy metabolism in peripheral tissues; however, its role in the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis remains poorly defined.

This study aimed to investigate the role of hypothalamic BCL6 signaling in the regulation of energy homeostasis and metabolism.

We first examined the expression patterns of BCL6 in the hypothalamus via bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-Seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-Seq), followed by validation of the sequencing results. To assess the functional role of BCL6 in hypothalamic energy regulation, we performed gain- and loss-of-function experiments in POMC neurons from diet-induced obese mice. Metabolic phenotyping, histological analysis, and gene and protein expression assays were conducted to evaluate the impact of BCL6 on whole-body energy metabolism. Additionally, we reanalyzed the BCL6 ChIP-seq data and performed luciferase assays, ChIP-qPCR, Co-IP, and site-directed mutagenesis to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction between BCL6 and Stat3.

We found that Bcl6 was expressed in the hypothalamus of mice and upregulated in both diet-induced obesity (DIO) and ob/ob mice. The overexpression of Bcl6 in POMC neurons promoted food intake and weight gain and reduced energy expenditure under high-fat diet (HFD) conditions. These effects were associated with decreased POMC expression and STAT3 phosphorylation. Conversely, Bcl6 deletion in POMC neurons produced opposite metabolic phenotypes. The deletion of Stat3 in POMC neurons abolished the metabolic benefits of hypothalamic Bcl6 knockdown. Mechanistically, we showed that BCL6 directly binds to the Stat3 promotor, inhibiting its transcription through SIRT1-mediated H4K16ac and H1.4K26ac deacetylation.

Our findings demonstrate that BCL6 in hypothalamic POMC neurons acts as a key regulator of energy metabolism.