Ciliary pathways underlying long-term regulation of energy homeostasis

How ciliary dysfunction leads to obesity has remained mysterious, partly because of a lack of understanding of the physiological roles of primary cilia in the organs and pathways involved in the regulation of metabolism and energy homeostasis. Historically, the study of rare monogenetic disorders that present with obesity has informed our molecular understanding of the mechanisms involved in nonsyndromic forms of obesity. 

Our lab explores the molecular and cellular pathways underlying long-term regulation of energy homeostasis, focusing on recent progress linking these pathways to the function of the primary cilia with a particular emphasis on the roles of neuronal primary cilia in the regulation of satiety.