Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Neuroendocrinology

Signalling starvation

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 14, pages 670–671 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Previous studies have indicated that FGF21 acts on the CNS to modulate metabolism and insulin production. In their first study, the authors identified the precise brain areas involved by assessing the expression of Klb, which encodes the FGF21 co-receptor β-klotho. Quantitative PCR on mouse brain tissue revealed that Klb is selectively expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus and in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) of the hindbrain.

The SCN houses the circadian pacemaker, which regulates various behaviours and entrains them to light–dark cycles. The expression of circadian clock genes in the hypothalamus was similar in FGF21-overexpressing mice and wild-type animals. By contrast, FGF21-overexpressing mice showed reduced overall wheel-running activity and, unlike wild-type mice, performed some wheel-running during the light phase. This phenotype could be normalized by deletion of Klb from the forebrain and hindbrain. Together, these data indicate that FGF21 inhibits SCN output but not the molecular circadian clock itself.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Bookout, A. L. et al. FGF21 regulates metabolism and circadian behavior by acting on the nervous system. Nature Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3249 (2013)

  2. Owen, B. M. et al. FGF21 contributes to neuroendocrine control of female reproduction. Nature Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3250 (2013)

Download references

Authors
  1. Darran Yates
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yates, D. Signalling starvation. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 670–671 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3592

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3592

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing