Abstract
α/β-Hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6) is a monoacylglycerol hydrolase that degrades the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Although complete or peripheral ABHD6 loss of function is protective against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, the role of ABHD6 in the central control of energy balance is unknown. Using a viral-mediated knockout approach, targeted endocannabinoid measures, and pharmacology, we discovered that mice lacking ABHD6 from neurons of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHKO) have higher VMH 2-AG levels in conditions of endocannabinoid recruitment and fail to physiologically adapt to key metabolic challenges. VMHKO mice exhibited blunted fasting-induced feeding and reduced food intake, energy expenditure, and adaptive thermogenesis in response to cold exposure, high-fat feeding, and dieting (transition to a low-fat diet). Our findings identify ABHD6 as a regulator of the counter-regulatory responses to major metabolic shifts, including fasting, nutrient excess, cold, and dieting, thereby highlighting the importance of ABHD6 in the VMH in mediating energy metabolism flexibility.
Highlights
Metabolic and behavioral processes adjust to changing environmental conditions, including variations in the availability of food and its composition
The leading exception is humans with access to plenty of food and little necessity to engage in physical activity to procure food, for which metabolism can be problematically inflexible to a shifting diet and exercise lifestyle
The capacity of endocannabinoids to actively fine tune neuronal activity is well-suited to the central mechanisms underlying adjustments of energy metabolism
Summary
Fisette et al demonstrate that the endocannabinoid-degrading enzyme ABHD6 in ventromedial hypothalamus neurons is a regulator of VMH 2-AG accumulation and energy metabolism flexibility in response to homeostatic challenges. ABHD6 knockout in VMH neurons of adult mice impairs the feeding response to fasting and increases susceptibility to cold-induced hypothermia, diet-induced obesity, and resistance to diet-induced weight loss. 2016, Cell Reports 17, 1217–1226 October 25, 2016 a 2016 The Authors.
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