ArticleNature communications2017
TNFα drives mitochondrial stress in POMC neurons in obesity.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 126 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of diabetes on microglial physiology: a systematic review of in vitro, preclinical and clinical studies.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of TNF-α Inhibitors on Body Weight and BMI: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Ablation of microglial estrogen receptor alpha predisposes male mice to diet-induced obesity.Metabolism: clinical and experimental · 2026Article
- Rhythmic patterns in microglial cells within the circadian pineal gland from male rats.Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2026Article
- Morphological changes in microglia in the mouse brain during postnatal development and obesity.Histology and histopathology · 2026Article
- Nicotinamide counteracts Rotenone-induced mitochondrial and neuronal dysfunction in a translational early-life model.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- THIK-1 channel mediates microglial glucose sensing and modulates AgRP neurons.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Microglia as candidate links between hormonal signals and neuronal circuits in polycystic ovary syndrome: evidence gaps and a research agenda.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Neuroendocrine-immune perturbations in metabolic disease: pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Maternal Obesity in Pregnancy: Risk Factor for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Offspring.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Review
- Selective changes in vasopressin neurons and astrocytes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of Prader-Willi syndrome subjects.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Obesity: pathophysiology and therapeutic interventions.Molecular biomedicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Interplay between the brain and adipose tissue: a metabolic conversation.EMBO reports · 2024Review
- Article
- Targeting the immunoproteasome in hypothalamic neurons as a novel therapeutic strategy for high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysregulation.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2024Article
- Obesity-induced inflammation: connecting the periphery to the brain.Nature metabolism · 2024Review
- An acute microglial metabolic response controls metabolism and improves memory.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Microglial phagolysosome dysfunction and altered neural communication amplify phenotypic severity in Prader-Willi Syndrome with larger deletion.Acta neuropathologica · 2024Article
- Microglia in physiological conditions and the importance of understanding their homeostatic functions in the arcuate nucleus.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Consuming a calorically dense diet stimulates microglial reactivity in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) in association with decreased number of appetite-curbing pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons; whether the reduction in POMC neuronal function is secondary to the microglial activation is unclear. Here we show that in hypercaloric diet-induced obese mice, persistently activated microglia in the MBH hypersecrete TNFα that in turn stimulate mitochondrial ATP production in POMC neurons, promoting mitochondrial fusion in their neurites, and increasing POMC neuronal firing rates and excitability. Specific disruption of the gene expressions of TNFα downstream signals TNFSF11A or NDUFAB1 in the MBH of diet-induced obese mice reverses mitochondrial elongation and reduces obesity. These data imply that in a hypercaloric environment, persistent elevation of microglial reactivity and consequent TNFα secretion induces mitochondrial stress in POMC neurons that contributes to the development of obesity.
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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.