PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Luke K Burke
AU  - Tamana Darwish
AU  - Althea R Cavanaugh
AU  - Sam Virtue
AU  - Emma Roth
AU  - Joanna Moro
AU  - Shun-Mei Liu
AU  - Jing Xia
AU  - Jeffrey W. Dalley
AU  - Keith Burling
AU  - Streamson Chua
AU  - Toni Vidal-Puig
AU  - Gary J Schwartz
AU  - Clémence Blouet
TI  - mTORC1 in AGRP neurons integrates exteroceptive and interoceptive food-related cues in the modulation of adaptive energy expenditure in mice
AID  - 10.1101/110544
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 110544
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/21/110544.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/21/110544.full
AB  - Energy dissipation through interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) thermogenesis is an important contributor to adaptive energy expenditure. However, it remains unresolved how acute and chronic changes in energy availability are detected by the brain to adjust iBAT activity and maintain energy homeostasis. Here we provide evidence that AGRP inhibitory tone to iBAT represents an energy-sparing circuit that integrates environmental food cues and internal signals of energy availability. We establish a role for the nutrient-sensing mTORC1 signaling pathway within AGRP neurons in the detection of environmental food cues and internal signals of energy availability, and in the bi-directional control of iBAT thermogenesis during nutrient deficiency and excess. Collectively, our findings provide insights into how mTORC1 signaling within AGRP neurons surveys energy availability to engage iBAT thermogenesis, and identify AGRP neurons as a neuronal substrate for the coordination of energy intake and adaptive expenditure under varying physiological and environmental contexts.