Université de Fribourg

Disturbed processing of contextual information in HCN3 channel deficient mice

Stieglitz, Marc S. ; Fenske, Stefanie ; Hammelmann, Verena ; Becirovic, Elvir ; Schöttle, Verena ; Delorme, James E. ; Schöll-Weidinger, Martha ; Mader, Robert ; Deussing, Jan ; Wolfer, David P. ; Seeliger, Mathias W. ; Albrecht, Urs ; Wotjak, Carsten T. ; Biel, Martin ; Michalakis, Stylianos ; Wahl-Schott, Christian

In: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 2018, vol. 10, p. -

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (HCNs) in the nervous system are implicated in a variety of neuronal functions including learning and memory, regulation of vigilance states and pain. Dysfunctions or genetic loss of these channels have been shown to cause human diseases such as epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease. The physiological...

Université de Fribourg

REV-ERBα regulates Fgf21 expression in the liver via hepatic nuclear factor 6

Chavan, Rohit ; Preitner, Nadia ; Okabe, Takashi ; Mansencal Strittmatter, Laureen ; Xu, Cheng ; Ripperger, Jürgen A. ; Pitteloud, Nelly ; Albrecht, Urs

In: Biology Open, 2017, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 1–7

The circadian clock contributes to the timing of many body functions including metabolism and reproduction. The hepatokine fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a critical metabolic regulator involved in modulation of fertility. Here we show that lack of the clock component REV-ERBα elevates FGF21 levels in liver and plasma. At the molecular level, REV-ERBα modulates the expression of...

Université de Fribourg

Rev‐erbα modulates the hypothalamic orexinergic system to influence pleasurable feeding behaviour in mice

Feillet, Céline A. ; Bainier, Claire ; Mateo, Maria ; Blancas-Velázquez, Aurea ; Salaberry, Nora L. ; Ripperger, Jürgen A. ; Albrecht, Urs ; Mendoza, Jorge

In: Addiction Biology, 2017, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 411–422

The drive to eat is regulated by two compensatory brain pathways termed as homeostatic and hedonic. Hypothalamic orexinergic (ORX) neurons regulate metabolism, feeding and reward, thus controlling physiological and hedonic appetite. Circadian regulation of feeding, metabolism and rhythmic activity of ORX cells are driven by the brain suprachiasmatic clock. How the circadian clock impacts on...

Université de Fribourg

Molecular mechanisms in mood regulation involving the circadian clock

Albrecht, Urs

In: Frontiers in Neurology, 2017, vol. 8, p. -

The circadian system coordinates activities and functions in cells and tissues in order to optimize body functions in anticipation to daily changes in the environment. Disruption of the circadian system, due to irregular lifestyle such as rotating shift work, frequent travel across time-zones, or chronic stress, is correlated with several diseases such as obesity, cancer, and neurological...

Université de Fribourg

Β-Klotho deficiency protects against obesity through a crosstalk between liver, microbiota, and brown adipose tissue

Somm, Emmanuel ; Henry, Hugues ; Bruce, Stephen J. ; Aeby, Sébastien ; Rosikiewicz, Marta ; Sykiotis, Gerasimos P. ; Asrih, Mohammed ; Jornayvaz, François R. ; Denechaud, Pierre Damien ; Albrecht, Urs ; Mohammadi, Moosa ; Dwyer, Andrew ; Jr., James S. Acierno ; Schoonjans, Kristina ; Fajas, Lluis ; Greub, Gilbert ; Pitteloud, Nelly

In: JCI Insight, 2017, vol. 2, no. 8, p. -

β-Klotho (encoded by Klb) is the obligate coreceptor mediating FGF21 and FGF15/19 signaling. Klb–/– mice are refractory to beneficial action of pharmacological FGF21 treatment including stimulation of glucose utilization and thermogenesis. Here, we investigated the energy homeostasis in Klb–/– mice on high-fat diet in order to better understand the consequences of abrogating both...

Université de Fribourg

The circadian clock, metabolism and obesity

Albrecht, Urs

In: Obesity Reviews, 2017, vol. 18, no. S1, p. 25–33

In the last decades, obesity has been on the rise becoming a burden for health care systems. The reasons behind this rise are most likely caused by lifestyle rather than by an increase in gene mutations, because manifestations of genetic alterations would take longer than just a few decades. Lifestyle has a great impact on the circadian system and therefore on the body internal organization...

Université de Fribourg

REV-ERBα influences the stability and nuclear localization of the glucocorticoid receptor

Okabe, Takashi ; Chavan, Rohit ; Costa, Sara S. Fonseca ; Brenna, Andrea ; Ripperger, Jürgen A. ; Albrecht, Urs

In: Journal of Cell Science, 2016, vol. 129, no. 21, p. 4143–4154

REV-ERBα (encoded by Nr1d1) is a nuclear receptor that is part of the circadian clock mechanism and regulates metabolism and inflammatory processes. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR, encoded by Nr3c1) influences similar processes, but is not part of the circadian clock, although glucocorticoid signaling affects resetting of the circadian clock in peripheral tissues. Because of their similar...

Université de Fribourg

Altered sleep homeostasis in rev-erbα knockout mice

Mang, Géraldine M. ; La Spada, Francesco ; Emmenegger, Yann ; Chappuis, Sylvie ; Ripperger, Jürgen A. ; Albrecht, Urs ; Franken, Paul

In: SLEEP, 2016, vol. 39, no. 3, p. 589–601

Study Objectives: The nuclear receptor REV-ERBα is a potent, constitutive transcriptional repressor critical for the regulation of key circadian and metabolic genes. Recently, REV-ERBα's involvement in learning, neurogenesis, mood, and dopamine turnover was demonstrated suggesting a specific role in central nervous system functioning. We have previously shown that the brain expression of...

Université de Fribourg

Liver-derived ketone bodies are necessary for food anticipation

Chavan, Rohit ; Feillet, Céline ; Costa, Sara S. Fonseca ; Delorme, James E. ; Okabe, Takashi ; Ripperger, Jürgen A. ; Albrecht, Urs

In: Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, p. 10580

The circadian system has endowed animals with the ability to anticipate recurring food availability at particular times of day. As daily food anticipation (FA) is independent of the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the central pacemaker of the circadian system, questions arise of where FA signals originate and what role components of the circadian clock might play. Here we show that liver-specific...