A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Small extracellular vesicle-mediated targeting of hypothalamic AMPK alpha 1 corrects obesity through BAT activation
Authors: Milbank Edward, Dragano Nathalia R. V., Gonzalez-Garcia Ismael, Garcia Marcos Rios, Rivas-Limeres Veronica, Perdomo Liliana, Hilairet Gregory, Ruiz-Pino Francisco, Mallegol Patricia, Morgan Donald A., Iglesias-Rey Ramon, Contreras Cristina, Vergori Luisa, Cunarro Juan, Porteiro Begona, Gavalda-Navarro Aleix, Oelkrug Rebecca, Vidal Anxo, Roa Juan, Sobrino Tomas, Villarroya Francesc, Dieguez Carlos, Nogueiras Ruben, Garcia-Caceres Cristina, Tena-Sempere Manuel, Mittag Jens, Carmen Martinez M., Rahmouni Kamal, Andriantsitohaina Ramaroson, Lopez Miguel
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Nature Metabolism
Journal name in source: NATURE METABOLISM
Journal acronym: NAT METAB
Volume: 3
Issue: 10
First page : 1415
Last page: 1431
Number of pages: 29
eISSN: 2522-5812
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00467-8
Web address : https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-021-00467-8
Current pharmacological therapies for treating obesity are of limited efficacy. Genetic ablation or loss of function of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha 1 (AMPK alpha 1) in steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) neurons of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) induces feeding-independent resistance to obesity due to sympathetic activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Here, we show that body weight of obese mice can be reduced by intravenous injection of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) delivering a plasmid encoding an AMPK alpha 1 dominant negative mutant (AMPK alpha 1-DN) targeted to VMH-SF1 neurons. The beneficial effect of SF1-AMPK alpha 1-DN-loaded sEVs is feeding-independent and involves sympathetic nerve activation and increased UCP1-dependent thermogenesis in BAT. Our results underscore the potential of sEVs to specifically target AMPK in hypothalamic neurons and introduce a broader strategy to manipulate body weight and reduce obesity.Milbank et al. show that specific targeting of AMPK alpha 1 in SF1 neurons of the VMH through systemic injection of small extracellular vesicles causes weight loss via increased brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.
