Diet-responsive transcriptional regulation of insulin in a single neuron controls systemic metabolism

PLoS Biol. 2022 May 20;20(5):e3001655. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001655. eCollection 2022 May.

Abstract

Metabolic homeostasis is coordinated through a robust network of signaling pathways acting across all tissues. A key part of this network is insulin-like signaling, which is fundamental for surviving glucose stress. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans fed excess dietary glucose reduce insulin-1 (INS-1) expression specifically in the BAG glutamatergic sensory neurons. We demonstrate that INS-1 expression in the BAG neurons is directly controlled by the transcription factor ETS-5, which is also down-regulated by glucose. We further find that INS-1 acts exclusively from the BAG neurons, and not other INS-1-expressing neurons, to systemically inhibit fat storage via the insulin-like receptor DAF-2. Together, these findings reveal an intertissue regulatory pathway where regulation of insulin expression in a specific neuron controls systemic metabolism in response to excess dietary glucose.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / metabolism
  • Diet
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Glucose / metabolism
  • Insulin* / metabolism
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Receptor, Insulin / genetics
  • Receptor, Insulin / metabolism

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Insulin
  • Receptor, Insulin
  • Glucose