Necdin Controls Foxo1 Acetylation in Hypothalamic Arcuate Neurons to Modulate the Thyroid Axis

Abstract

The forkhead transcription factor Foxo1 regulates energy homeostasis by modulating gene expression in the hypothalamus. Foxo1 undergoes post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and acetylation, which modulate its functional activities. Sirtuin1 (Sirt1), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylase, regulates the acetylation status of Foxo1 in mammalian cells. Necdin, a pleiotropic protein required for neuronal development and survival, interacts with both Sirt1 and p53 to facilitate p53 deacetylation. The necdin gene (Ndn), an imprinted gene transcribed only from the paternal allele, is strongly expressed in hypothalamic neurons. Here, we demonstrate that necdin controls the acetylation status of Foxo1 in vivo in hypothalamic arcuate neurons to modulate the thyroid function. Necdin forms a stable ternary complex with Sirt1 and Foxo1, diminishes Foxo1 acetylation, and suppresses the transcriptional activity of Foxo1 in vitro. Paternal Ndn mutant mice express high levels of acetylated Foxo1 and mRNAs encoding agouti-related protein and neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus in vivo during the juvenile period. The mutant mice exhibit endocrine dysfunction characteristic of hypothalamic hypothyroidism. Chemically induced hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism lead to hypothalamic responses similar to those under necdin-deficient and excessive conditions, respectively, suggesting that thyroid hormone serves as a negative regulator of this system. These results suggest that necdin regulates Foxo1 acetylation and neuropeptide gene expression in the arcuate neurons to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis during development.