Hypothalamic Microglial Heterogeneity and Signature under High Fat Diet-Induced Inflammation

Under high-fat feeding, the hypothalamus atypically undergoes pro-inflammatory signaling activation. Recent data from transcriptomic analysis of microglia from rodents and humans has allowed the identification of several microglial subpopulations throughout the brain. Numerous studies have clarified the roles of these cells in hypothalamic inflammation, but how each microglial subset plays its functions upon inflammatory stimuli remains unexplored. Fortunately, these data unveiling microglial heterogeneity have triggered the development of novel experimental models for studying the roles and characteristics of each microglial subtype. In this review, we explore microglial heterogeneity in the hypothalamus and their crosstalk with astrocytes under high fat diet-induced inflammation. We present novel currently available ex vivo and in vivo experimental models that can be useful when designing a new research project in this field of study. Last, we examine the transcriptomic data already published to identify how the hypothalamic microglial signature changes upon short-term and prolonged high-fat feeding.

Automated summary

Under high-fat feeding, the hypothalamus undergoes pro-inflammatory signaling activation, with recent data revealing microglial heterogeneity throughout the brain. The roles of microglial subpopulations in hypothalamic inflammation have been studied, but how each subset functions in response to inflammatory stimuli remains unclear. Novel experimental models have been developed to study the characteristics and roles of microglial subtypes, and transcriptomic data is being used to identify changes in hypothalamic microglial signature under short-term and long-term high-fat feeding.