Elucidating the role of Rgs2 expression in the PVN for metabolic homeostasis in mice

RGS2 is a GTPase activating protein that modulates GPCR-GWe used a combination of RNAscope in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry, and bioinformatic analyses to characterize the pattern of Rgs2 expression in the PVN. We then created mice lacking Rgs2 either prenatally or postnatally in the PVN and evaluated their metabolic consequences.RNAscope ISH analysis revealed a broad but regionally enriched Rgs2 mRNA expression throughout the mouse brain, with the highest expression being observed in the PVN along with several other brain regions, such as the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus and the dorsal raphe nucleus. Within the PVN, we found that Rgs2 is specifically enriched in CRHOur results provide the first evidence to show that PVN Rgs2 expression is not only sensitive to metabolic challenge but also critically required for PVN endocrine neurons to function and maintain metabolic homeostasis.