ArticleNature medicine2013
FGF21 regulates metabolism and circadian behavior by acting on the nervous system.
Article in Nature medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 325 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
325 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 524 citations in OpenAlex.
- Liver Brain Interactions: Focus on FGF21 a Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation in unmedicated adults with major depressive disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial and induced current flow pattern.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Trial
- The effect of hydration status on plasma FGF21 concentrations in humans: A subanalysis of a randomised crossover trial.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Mechanisms of Exercise Training in Ameliorating Cognitive Function in Patients With Depression: A Narrative Review of Molecular Targets and Clinical Prescriptions.European journal of sport science · 2026Review
- Fibroblast growth factors in ischemic stroke: Therapeutic potential and clinical challenges.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Review
- ASK1-Induced FGF21 Synthesis in the Liver Prevents Obesity in Mice.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2026Article
- Hypothalamus-Peripheral Organ Crosstalk in Energy Metabolism: A Bidirectional Regulatory Network.Endocrinology and metabolism (Seoul, Korea) · 2026Review
- The Biological Clock-Mitochondria Axis in the Liver: From Molecular Mechanisms to Metabolic Disease.Biology · 2026Review
- UCP1-Dependent Thermogenic Adipose Tissue in Human Disease: Adipose-Centered Mechanisms, Biomarker Limitations, and Translational Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The role of fibroblast growth factor 21 in diabetes and metabolic dysfunction.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Pan-tissue transcriptomic profiling of dairy cattle.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Hypothalamus-liver talks: whispers in the language of metabolism.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- Hepatic FGF21 is not required for fasting metabolism but guides protein appetite post energy depletion.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Methionine Deprivation-induced Reprogramming of Hepatic Rhythms Is Mediated by Glucocorticoid Receptor.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The Liver Clock Tunes Transcriptional Rhythms in Skeletal Muscle to Regulate Mitochondrial Function.Journal of biological rhythms · 2026Article
- Pharmacological administration of FGF21 reverses obesity through a parabrachial-projecting neuron population in the hindbrain.Cell reports · 2026Article
- FGF21 signals through hindbrain neurons to alter food intake and energy expenditure during dietary protein restriction.Cell reports · 2026Article
- FGF21 promotes the resolution of inflammation through the ALOX15/SPM pathway in acute respiratory distress syndrome.Respiratory research · 2026Article
- Late-life methionine restriction attenuates neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease mice via FGF21 activation in a metabolism-independent manner.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Mechanistic insights into the liver-brain axis during chronic liver disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
265 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hepatokine that acts as a global starvation signal to modulate fuel partitioning and metabolism and repress growth; however, the site of action of these diverse effects remains unclear. FGF21 signals through a heteromeric cell-surface receptor composed of one of three FGF receptors (FGFR1c, FGFR2c or FGFR3c) in complex with β-Klotho, a single-pass transmembrane protein that is enriched in metabolic tissues. Here we show that in addition to its known effects on peripheral metabolism, FGF21 increases systemic glucocorticoid levels, suppresses physical activity and alters circadian behavior, which are all features of the adaptive starvation response. These effects are mediated through β-Klotho expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus and the dorsal vagal complex of the hindbrain. Mice lacking the gene encoding β-Klotho (Klb) in these regions are refractory to these effects, as well as those on metabolism, insulin and growth. These findings demonstrate a crucial role for the nervous system in mediating the diverse physiologic and pharmacologic actions of FGF21.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.