Seminare und Veranstaltungen

Termine am Max-Planck-Institut für Stoffwechselforschung oder an kooperierenden Instituten

Raum: Seminar room 1 Gastgeber: Prof. Jens Brüning

Talk by Prof. Michael Pankratz, LIMES Institute, Bonn University

Serotonergic modulation of a feeding circuit along the brain-body axis: Insights from a whole animal EM reconstruction of the enteric nervous system in Drosophila
Serotonin has wide-ranging effects on many physiological activities, from feeding and gut motility to mood and motor learning. However, the identity of central serotonergic neurons and the neuronal circuits within which they are embedded are largely unknown at single cell and synaptic level. We have used a scanning transmission electron microscopy dataset of a whole Drosophila larva to elucidate the central sensory-motor circuit that controls swallowing and its coordination with the enteric nervous system. The circuit is composed of Piezo-expressing mechanosensory neurons arrayed along the esophagus which are able to sense the passage of food. Their afferent signal is conveyed onto a set of central serotonergic neurons that project back out via the larval vagus nerve and facilitates swallowing motor pattern. Serotonin release by these neurons modulates serotonin receptor-expressing motor neurons that innervate the muscles underlying esophageal peristalsis. These motor neurons also share an efferent copy of their motor activity with the Piezo neurons sensing food passage. Our analysis reveals an elemental circuit architecture through which successful completion of a rewarding motor task provides a reinforcing and stabilizing signal to the CNS for facilitation of motor learning. [mehr]

Talk by Guadalupe Sabio, PhD, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

Unravelling the role of p38 and p38 in obesity-related diseases
Protein kinases are the key components of almost every signalling pathway involved in normal development and disease. MAPKs play a key role in the regulation of diverse cellular programs and participate extensively in the control of cell fate decisions such as proliferation, differentiation, and death, as well as in the regulation of stress responses. The main stress-activated MAPKs are the p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) families. The p38MAPK family has four isoforms encoded by distinct genes located tandemly in 2 chromosomes: p38, , and . Although the role of all p38s have been thought to be similar, we think the less-studied members p38 and  have different and specific regulation and function. We will discuss about our recent findings that suggest that these kinases have specific function and regulation. We will focus our attention in their implication in obesity related diseases. [mehr]

Talk by Prof. Susanne la Fleur, University of Amsterdam

Striatal glucose regulates systemic glucose metabolism in humans and rodents
The brain relies on glucose for fuel but has limited storage capacity. To facilitate adequate glucose availability, the brain senses glucose, initiates feeding behaviour, and controls system glucose metabolism. To date, the majority of studies investigating the sensing and central control of glucose have focused on the hypothalamus and the brainstem. However, recent findings have revealed an unexpected and fascinating role for the striatum, a brain nucleus mainly known for its role in reward behaviour, in glucose homeostasis. I will present a series of experiments, in both humans and rodents, supporting the regulation of peripheral glucose metabolism by striatal dopamine signaling. With rodent studies we also unraveled the neural route via which the striatum, and especially the nucleus accumbens shell, communicates with the liver to regulate glucose production. [mehr]

Talk by Dr Michael Krashes, NIDDK/NIH, Bethesda, USA

Defined Paraventricular Hypothalamic Populations Exhibit Differential Responses Contingent on Caloric State

Talk by Prof. Sven Enerbäck, University of Gothenburg

Metabolic regulation in adipose tissue, muscle and possibly also in the brain
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has the unique capacity to regulate energy expenditure by a process called adaptive thermogenesis, which dissipates chemical energy to produce heat. If fully active, the BAT depots of adult humans may burn an amount of energy equivalent to about 4 kg of white adipose tissue (WAT) per year. Needless to say, the identification of BAT in adult humans opens up completely new avenues of therapeutic intervention and offers unique scientific opportunities. This entails a need to better understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate BAT metabolism. This presentation is focused on how BAT, WAT and muscle regulate its uptake and use of substrates for metabolism and how this affects the function of these tissues. These studies have led to identification of transcription factors that regulate cellular glycolysis and substrate preference i.e. glucose or fatty acid uptake and further oxidation. [mehr]

Talk by Prof. Mark Febbraio, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney

The chameleon role of TLR4 in lipid-induced macrophage inflammation

Selection Workshop for Independent Research Group Leader Position

Selection workshop for Independent Research Group Leader position
14:00 Welcome address14:15 - 14:45 Dr. Henning Fenselau: " Synaptic transmission and plasticity in feeding circuits"14:45 - 15:15 Dr. Christophe Lamy: "Brain glucose sensing and the control of energy homeostasis and behavior" [mehr]

Talk by Jeffrey Friedman, MD, PhD

Leptin and the Neural Circuit Regulating Food Intake and Metabolism

Talk by Dr. Antonia Marin-Burgin

Interaction among excitatory and inhibitory circuits in the hippocampus
The hippocampus is a brain area that is involved in a variety of functions. In particular, the formation of memory and the codification of space depend on the functioning of the hippocampus. Virtually all areas of the hippocampus, and of most parts of the brain, contain excitatory and inhibitory neurons that form individual microcircuits. It is in the interaction between excitatory and inhibitory circuits where appropriate functional responses arise. We study how excitation and inhibition interact to activate neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, one of the only regions of the brain in which new neurons are formed throughout life. In this seminar I will present experiments using electrophysiology and calcium imaging aiming to understand the functional role of newborn neurons in the processing of afferent stimuli, with the focus on the synaptic mechanism that generate the unique properties they present. [mehr]

Talk by Dr. Lucas Pontel

Endogenous formaldehyde: a stem cell genotoxin and metabolic carcinogen in mammals
Formaldehyde is a highly reactive chemical used as a preservative and also in many industrial processes. In our cells, this aldehyde is generated as a by-product of several essential biochemical pathways. This ‘endogenous’ formaldehyde is very reactive and can damage proteins and DNA resulting in lethal toxicity. Therefore, cells harbour two protective barriers: the formaldehyde-detoxifying enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (Adh5) and the Fanconi Anemia DNA repair pathway. The simultaneous inactivation of these two systems leads to haematopoietic stem cell attrition, kidney and liver dysfunction, and development of cancer in mice. My work aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that counteract unwanted consequences of essential metabolism. [mehr]
Mehr anzeigen
Zur Redakteursansicht