Tanycyte cell clock gene BMAL1 influences weight gain from high-fat diet and brain cell growth in female mice

Clock genes cycle with much higher amplitude in ventral tanycytes compared to more dorsal ependymocytes.

• Adult knockout of the core clock gene Bmal1 in tanycytes reduces diet-associated weight gain and fat mass in female mice.
• Female mice exhibit higher baseline tanycyte-derived neurogenesis than males, with resulting neurons primarily localizing to the arcuate nucleus.
• After Bmal1 deletion, female mice show reduced tanycyte-derived neurogenesis in the arcuate nucleus, while males do not exhibit this effect.
• A greater proportion of newborn neurons in female mice acquire a feeding-suppressing neuropeptide fate following Bmal1 deletion.

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