Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

"Obesity reduces quality of life for millions of Canadians and costs $6 billion in health care spending annually. An imbalance in energy intake and output contribute to the development of obesity, increasing risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers. Identifying ways to correct energy imbalance has proven challenging, as the basic mechanisms that regulate energy burning via hormones is poorly understood. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a hormone shown to be important in the regulation of energy balance. Specifically, it has been shown to regulate adaptive thermogenesis, an energy burning process that produces heat in specialized fat tissue called brown fat. Adaptive thermogenesis is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), also known as the ""fight or flight"" response, which is involuntarily activated when our body perceives stress. While PACAP and its receptors are known to be expressed in parts of the SNS, it is not known if PACAP receptors are present on sympathetic neurons that connect to brown fat. We hypothesize PACAP receptors are expressed in sympathetic nerves innervating brown fat and through these neurons PACAP regulates thermogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we will first measure PACAP receptor gene expression in sympathetic neurons isolated from male and female mice exposed to cold stress. Next we will assess the activity of sympathetic nerves that connect to brown fat when exposed to molecules that mimic or block the effect of PACAP. Experimental outcomes will increase our understanding of PACAP's role in regulating energy balance, potentially identifying PACAP as a new therapeutic target to promote energy burning in obesity to reduce body weight. "