The influence of cold exposure on brain metabolic homeostasis

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Stefanie Schirmeier
• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 468211919

Each species is evolutionarily adapted to its habitat. This includes adaptation to local climate and seasonal climate changes. For poikilothermic organisms, like insects, changing climatic conditions are challenging. In the last decades, the climate change has led to the occurrence of more and more weather extremes, and is thus threatening many insect species, and – since insects are an integral part of them – also complete ecosystems. Thus, I had proposed to study in detail how insects cope with fluctuating or extreme temperatures, with a focus on mechanisms protecting nervous system function. In the first funding period, we used Drosophila as a model organism and were able to show that several adaptations in neural nutrient transport and metabolism take place to enable cold acclimation and cold resistance. We show that cold shock renders carbohydrate uptake into the brain less efficient; a change that is counteracted by cold acclimation. Further, glial cellular metabolism becomes more glycolytic upon cold acclimation. Thus, in general, the brain consumes more carbohydrates allow functionality under cold conditions. To build on these findings we now want to understand the changes in carbohydrate uptake in detail. Further, we ask how metabolic adaptation of the nervous system, in carbohydrate transport and cellular metabolism, is regulated.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants