Cole K Deal, M Hoshi Sugiura, Kelly L Drew, Cory T Williams
{"title":"下丘脑微孔的转录组揭示了北极地鼠冬眠过程中的性别差异。","authors":"Cole K Deal, M Hoshi Sugiura, Kelly L Drew, Cory T Williams","doi":"10.1152/physiolgenomics.00073.2025","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Seasonal life-history events, such as migration, hibernation, and reproduction, depend on coordinated physiological changes. In vertebrates, a conserved thyroid hormone-signaling pathway in the hypothalamus is known to trigger many of these seasonal transitions. However, the broader processes and regulators modulating seasonal physiology are poorly defined. Recent research in Arctic ground squirrels (AGS, <i>Urocitellus parryii</i>) revealed hypothalamic thyroid hormone signaling is activated and markers of tanycytic remodeling are expressed in late hibernation in anticipation of springtime reproduction. We conducted RNA-seq on hypothalamic micropunches encompassing the arcuate nucleus, median eminence, pars tuberalis, and third ventricle in male and female AGS at early and late hibernation. We found substantial sex differences in the hypothalamic transcriptome across hibernation. Functional enrichment analysis of gene expression data revealed an upregulation of processes and pathways related to hormone transport and neurogenesis in females, whereas this was less apparent in males. Transcription factor binding site analysis of differentially expressed genes identified upstream regulators involved in glial cell differentiation, neuronal development, survival, and plasticity. Notably, many of the intersecting genes from these analyses were localized to specialized glial cells (tanycytes) lining the floor and walls of the third ventricle. Our findings support a model in which annual changes in gene expression rely on a progressive remodeling of tanycytes across hibernation. This remodeling may contribute to seasonal changes in neuronal plasticity and function of the hypothalamus, priming the brain in anticipation of shifting physiological demands upon hibernation termination.</p>","PeriodicalId":20129,"journal":{"name":"Physiological genomics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"The transcriptomes of hypothalamic micropunches reveal sex differences in regulatory processes across hibernation in the Arctic ground squirrel.\",\"authors\":\"Cole K Deal, M Hoshi Sugiura, Kelly L Drew, Cory T Williams\",\"doi\":\"10.1152/physiolgenomics.00073.2025\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><p>Seasonal life-history events, such as migration, hibernation, and reproduction, depend on coordinated physiological changes. In vertebrates, a conserved thyroid hormone-signaling pathway in the hypothalamus is known to trigger many of these seasonal transitions. However, the broader processes and regulators modulating seasonal physiology are poorly defined. Recent research in Arctic ground squirrels (AGS, <i>Urocitellus parryii</i>) revealed hypothalamic thyroid hormone signaling is activated and markers of tanycytic remodeling are expressed in late hibernation in anticipation of springtime reproduction. We conducted RNA-seq on hypothalamic micropunches encompassing the arcuate nucleus, median eminence, pars tuberalis, and third ventricle in male and female AGS at early and late hibernation. We found substantial sex differences in the hypothalamic transcriptome across hibernation. Functional enrichment analysis of gene expression data revealed an upregulation of processes and pathways related to hormone transport and neurogenesis in females, whereas this was less apparent in males. Transcription factor binding site analysis of differentially expressed genes identified upstream regulators involved in glial cell differentiation, neuronal development, survival, and plasticity. Notably, many of the intersecting genes from these analyses were localized to specialized glial cells (tanycytes) lining the floor and walls of the third ventricle. Our findings support a model in which annual changes in gene expression rely on a progressive remodeling of tanycytes across hibernation. This remodeling may contribute to seasonal changes in neuronal plasticity and function of the hypothalamus, priming the brain in anticipation of shifting physiological demands upon hibernation termination.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":20129,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Physiological genomics\",\"volume\":\" \",\"pages\":\"\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-10-08\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Physiological genomics\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"99\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00073.2025\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"生物学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"CELL BIOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Physiological genomics","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00073.2025","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
The transcriptomes of hypothalamic micropunches reveal sex differences in regulatory processes across hibernation in the Arctic ground squirrel.
Seasonal life-history events, such as migration, hibernation, and reproduction, depend on coordinated physiological changes. In vertebrates, a conserved thyroid hormone-signaling pathway in the hypothalamus is known to trigger many of these seasonal transitions. However, the broader processes and regulators modulating seasonal physiology are poorly defined. Recent research in Arctic ground squirrels (AGS, Urocitellus parryii) revealed hypothalamic thyroid hormone signaling is activated and markers of tanycytic remodeling are expressed in late hibernation in anticipation of springtime reproduction. We conducted RNA-seq on hypothalamic micropunches encompassing the arcuate nucleus, median eminence, pars tuberalis, and third ventricle in male and female AGS at early and late hibernation. We found substantial sex differences in the hypothalamic transcriptome across hibernation. Functional enrichment analysis of gene expression data revealed an upregulation of processes and pathways related to hormone transport and neurogenesis in females, whereas this was less apparent in males. Transcription factor binding site analysis of differentially expressed genes identified upstream regulators involved in glial cell differentiation, neuronal development, survival, and plasticity. Notably, many of the intersecting genes from these analyses were localized to specialized glial cells (tanycytes) lining the floor and walls of the third ventricle. Our findings support a model in which annual changes in gene expression rely on a progressive remodeling of tanycytes across hibernation. This remodeling may contribute to seasonal changes in neuronal plasticity and function of the hypothalamus, priming the brain in anticipation of shifting physiological demands upon hibernation termination.
期刊介绍:
The Physiological Genomics publishes original papers, reviews and rapid reports in a wide area of research focused on uncovering the links between genes and physiology at all levels of biological organization. Articles on topics ranging from single genes to the whole genome and their links to the physiology of humans, any model organism, organ, tissue or cell are welcome. Areas of interest include complex polygenic traits preferably of importance to human health and gene-function relationships of disease processes. Specifically, the Journal has dedicated Sections focused on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to function, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic and neurological systems, exercise physiology, pharmacogenomics, clinical, translational and genomics for precision medicine, comparative and statistical genomics and databases. For further details on research themes covered within these Sections, please refer to the descriptions given under each Section.