Neuroendocrinology and Neuroimmunology
Author: Ivana María Gomez | Email: ivanamariagomez@gmail.com
Ivana María Gomez1°, Daniel Castrogiovanni1°,Mario Perelló1°, Pablo Nicolás De Francesco1°
1° Neurophysiology Laboratory, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE)
Hypothalamic tanycytes are polarized ependymoglial cells that line the third ventricle and project through various hypothalamic nuclei and median eminence. They facilitate the bidirectional exchange of metabolic and hormonal cues between blood and the hypothalamus and participate in intercellular communication within hypothalamic circuits that regulate energy homeostasis. In this context, literature suggests that tanycytic morphology may change depending on the energy balance. Here, we investigated the structural plasticity of these cells in response to different hormones related to energy metabolism in primary cultured rat hypothalamic tanycytes. We incubated 7-day cultured tanycytes for 48 h with different concentrations of dexamethasone (DEX), insulin or T4. We then quantified the length of individual cells and the area of their somas and processes. We found that DEX decreased cell length similarly within the tested range, not affecting the area of somas, but decreasing the area of processes. Insulin decreased cell length at low dose and affected both the area of somas and processes, while high levels had no effect on cell morphology. T4 did not significantly affect the morphological parameters studied. This evidence shows that glucocorticoids and insulin modify the morphology of tanycytes in vitro. Next we will study whether these hormonal stimuli affect the morphology of tanycytes and their interaction with vessels or diverse hypothalamic cell types in in vivo conditions