Presentation Details
| Anatomical and molecular organization of rNTS neurons and their metabolic regulation Deepthi Mahishi1, Nilay Yapici1, Eirene Markenscoff-Papadimitriou2. 1Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, NY, USA.2 Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Ithaca, NY, USA |
Abstract
Taste perception is a major determinant of food intake, and it is dynamically modulated by hunger and satiety signals across species. In mammals, the anatomical and molecular organization of peripheral taste receptor cells and their cortical representation are well characterized. However, far less is known about how metabolic state shapes taste processing in subcortical brain regions such as the brainstem. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigate the anatomical organization of the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNTS), the primary brainstem region that integrates and relays peripheral taste signals and examine how food deprivation modulates gene expression profiles in rNTS neurons. To accomplish this, we have performed RNAscope-based in situ hybridization, bulk nuclear RNA sequencing (RNAseq), and circuit mapping of molecularly defined subsets of rNTS neurons focusing on the excitatory (VGLUT2⁺) and inhibitory (VGAT⁺) subsets. We first mapped the projections of these neurons using anterograde and retrograde viral tracing, and then isolated rNTS-specific neuronal nuclei for RNAseq from mice under ad libitum–fed or 24-hour–starved conditions. Our preliminary analyses reveal distinct projection patterns and metabolic-state–dependent changes in gene expression within the rNTS. Together, these experiments aim to uncover molecular and anatomical profiles of excitatory and inhibitory rNTS neurons, including distinct adaptations within specific taste-sensing populations in response to food deprivation. By integrating genomics, neural tracing and functional imaging, we seek to unravel the molecular, anatomical, and physiological heterogeneity of rNTS taste circuits and elucidate their dynamic roles in regulating homeostatic feeding behaviors.
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