POMC-specific knockdown of Tril reduces body adiposity and increases hypothalamic leptin responsiveness

In a public dataset of transcripts differentially expressed in selected neuronal subpopulations of the arcuate nucleus, we identified TLR4-interactor with leucine-rich repeats (Tril) as a potential candidate for mediating the harmful effects of a high-fat diet in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. The non-cell-specific inhibition of Tril in the arcuate nucleus resulted in reduced hypothalamic inflammation, protection against diet-induced obesity associated with increased whole-body energy expenditure and increased systemic glucose tolerance. The inhibition of Tril, specifically in POMC neurons, resulted in a trend for protection against diet-induced obesity, increased energy expenditure and increased hypothalamic sensitivity to leptin. Thus, Tril emerges as a new component of the complex mechanisms that promote hypothalamic dysfunction in experimental diet-induced obesity.