Projekt

Zur Projekt-Website

Initiative:	Lichtenberg - Professuren
Bewilligung:	24.08.2011
Laufzeit:	5 Jahre

The thematic scope covers the functional interaction between the circadian timing system and metabolic homeostasis, a topic at the border between physiology, endocrinology, and diabetology, relying heavily on mouse genetics, molecular biology, and life imaging techniques. A tight interaction between circadian and metabolic regulation has been described in both human and animal studies. Clock disruption severely affects metabolic homeostasis and promotes the development of obesity-associated disorders such as type II diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. So far, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this clock-metabolism crosstalk. The project examines the role of different circadian oscillators in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis in the context of mental and metabolic stress. First, in a conditional transgenic mouse model, the role of circadian rhythms in stress axis regulation in the metabolic response to repetitive stress will be analyzed. Second, using a gene-therapeutic approach, I will explore the impact of peripheral clock regulation on metabolic homeostasis and feeding behaviour. Third, by genetically deleting clock function in leptin-receptive neurons, I will examine the impact of circadian gating on the processing of peripheral metabolic feedback in the brain.

• Prof. Dr. Henrik Oster

  Universität zu Lübeck
  Lübeck