RNA-sequencing Reveals Altered Gene Expression in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Following Predator Odor Exposure

It is unknown how the VMH regulates skeletal muscle metabolism and predator threat responses, or potential interactions between these. Because skeletal muscle has a great capacity for increasing energy expenditure and is rapidly activated by PO, understanding how the VMH regulates this process could uncover novel targets for obesity treatments. Due to lack of investigation, we sought to provide a foundation for mechanistic exploration. We report transcriptome-wide alterations of the VMH following PO exposure. Our results uncovered novel functional relationships among genes that can now be probed to better understand the dual processing role of the VMH in skeletal muscle metabolism and predator-threat responses.目前尚不清楚腹内侧下丘脑（Ventromedial Hypothalamus, VMH）如何调控骨骼肌代谢与捕食威胁应答，亦不清楚二者间是否存在潜在相互作用。由于骨骼肌具备极强的能量消耗提升能力，且可被PO快速激活，阐明腹内侧下丘脑调控该过程的机制，或可发现肥胖治疗的全新靶点。鉴于相关研究的匮乏，本研究旨在为机制探索提供基础依据。本研究报道了PO暴露后腹内侧下丘脑的全转录组改变。本研究结果揭示了基因间全新的功能关联，后续可通过这些关联进一步阐明腹内侧下丘脑在骨骼肌代谢与捕食威胁应答中的双重调控作用。