NATURE: What does nerve and adipose tissue communicate?

Mutations in the !---- leptin gene (ob) can lead to metabolic disorders, including severe obesity, as well as heat-producing and fat-producing defects, both of which are regulated by the sympathetic nervous system., however, so far, we still don't know the mechanisms of these sympathetic nerve-related abnormalities.In addition, chronic leptin administration can reverse these abnormalities in adipose tissue, but its underlying mechanisms have yet to be discovered.here, the researchers reported a significant reduction in sympathetic nerve control of the subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissue in ob/ob mice and obese mice with leptin-resistant diets.chronic leptin therapy in ob/ob mice restores the domination of the sympathetic nerveins in adipose tissue, which is necessary to correct related functional defects.the effects of leptin on nerve domination are mediated by agouti-related peptides and pro-piomelanocortin neurons in the thalamus archonuclear nucleus.removing the gene that encodes leptin receptors in either group can lead to a reduction in the domination of fat.these agouti-related peptides and opiomelanocortin neurons work through the brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression neurons (BDNFPVH) at the nucleus of the hypothalamus.removing BDNFPVH can blunt the effects of leptin on nerve domination.these data show that leptin signals regulate the plasticity of the intersectional structure of adipose tissue through a top-down neural pathway, which is essential for energy stability..