Study: A homeostatic gut-to-brain insulin antagonist restrains neuronally stimulated fat loss . Image Credit: Heiti Paves / Shutterstock.com This study highlights a novel mechanism of gut-to-brain communication crucial for lipid metabolism.
In a recent study published in Nature Communications , researchers identify an endogenous insulin antagonist that modulates fat loss in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans . How is information transmitted between the nervous system and intestines? The central nervous system (CNS) plays a significant role in systemic lipid homeostasis. Additionally, endocrine hormones signal from peripheral organs to relay fasted and fed state information throughout the body.
The intestines transmit internal state information to the brain and other organs through gut hormones. In the roundworm C. elegans , the utilization of lipids, which are primarily stored and metabolized in the intestine, is determined mainly by sensory neurons and their circuits.
Previously, the current study's researchers identified specific activities by sensory neurons and their role in lipid storage. Whereas URX and BAG neurons can detect and respond to oxygen levels in their surrounding environment, ADL and ADF neurons sense population density and bacterial food, respectively. These researchers also identified FMRFamide-like neuropeptide 7 (FLP-7), a brain-to-gut neuroendocrine peptide involved in relaying sensory information from the nervous system to the intestine.
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