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Tanycytes and Their Pivotal Role in Seasonal Physiological Adaptations

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Neuroendocrine Clocks and Calendars

Part of the book series: Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology ((MANEURO,volume 10))

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Abstract

Tanycytes are glial cells whose cell soma are embedded in the ependymal layer surrounding the ventral region of the third ventricle in the hypothalamus. They send projections into the surrounding hypothalamus, with processes terminating in the neuropil of the hypothalamus, or extended to contact portal blood vessels in the median eminence or the surrounding pars tuberalis. Photoperiodic regulation of gene expression occurs in tanycytes through local signals emanating in the pars tuberalis. Of considerable importance across vertebrate taxa is photoperiodic regulation of type II (Dio2) and type III (Dio3) deiodinase enzyme gene expression in tanycytes as these regulate local thyroid hormone availability. This chapter explores the evidence for photoperiodic regulation of thyroid hormone and retinoic acid signalling by tanycytes, and considers this in relation to their other key functions, including their potential as a stem cell niche in the adult brain, their role as part of the blood brain barrier in transporting nutrients and hormones into the brain, and their role in regulating neuroendocrine secretion in the median eminence by virtue of their anatomical proximity to neuronal terminals.

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Further Recommended Reading

  • Dardente H, Wood S, Ebling F, Sáenz de Miera C (2019) An integrative view of mammalian seasonal neuroendocrinology. J Neuroendocrinol 31(5):e12729

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  • Helfer G, Barrett P, Morgan PJ (2019) A unifying hypothesis for control of body weight and reproduction in seasonally breeding mammals. J Neuroendocrinol 31(3):e12680. This is an excellent review, formulating our knowledge to date on the relationship between the pars tuberalis, tanycytes and hypothalamus into a hypothesis centering around neurogenic potential of tanycytes to unify seasonal regulation in both long and short-day responsive mammals.

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  • Prevot V, Dehouck B, Sharif A, Ciofi P, Giacobini P, Clasadonte J (2018) The versatile tanycyte: a hypothalamic integrator of reproduction and energy metabolism Endocr Rev 39(3):333–368. An excellent review providing further information on the tanycyte-blood brain barrier relationship and tanycyte plasticity.

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  • Rodríguez E, Guerra M, Peruzzo B, Blázquez JL (2019) Tanycytes: a rich morphological history to underpin future molecular and physiological investigations. J Neuroendocrinol 31:e12690. This paper brings together a wealth of observations on tanycytes which should be taken into consideration when formulating and testing hypotheses on molecular mechanisms in the role of tanycytes at the interface between the periphery and hypothalamus.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Pat Bain at the Rowett Institute for the constructing the figures for this chapter. This work was supported by the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division to the Rowett Institute.

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  1. Rowett Institute, Foresterhill Campus, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Perry Barrett & Peter J. Morgan

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  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Francis J. P. Ebling

  2. School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Hugh D. Piggins

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Barrett, P., Morgan, P.J. (2020). Tanycytes and Their Pivotal Role in Seasonal Physiological Adaptations. In: Ebling, F.J.P., Piggins, H.D. (eds) Neuroendocrine Clocks and Calendars. Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55643-3_3

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