Table 1.

Summary of the proliferating and neural stem-cell populations in the hypothalamus, the stimuli that induce proliferation, the evidence for their differentiation, and their link to changes in body weight^a

Identity of hypothalamic cells	Stimulus for proliferation	Sox2b	Progenitor labeling method	Differentiation	Link to body weight	Age	Refs.
Rat
Tanycytes (α)	bFGF and EGF	N/A	BrdU	Neurospheres, neurons in LH (orexin) and PVN, astrocytes	N/A	Adult	[64]
SD: stimulated LD: inhibited EGF: stimulated RA: inhibited	N/A	BrdU, Ki67	N/A	Proliferation associated with ↓ body weight	Adult	[45]
Tanycytes (α), sub-ependymal astrocytes	IGF-1	N/A	BrdU	Neurons (NeuN-positive)	N/A	2 months	[63]
Cells in ME, Arc, VMH, tanycytes (α and β), sub-ependymal astrocytes	Constitutive	N/A	BrdU	N/A	N/A	Adult	[68]
Mouse
Cells in Arc, possibly a few α tanycytes.	Degeneration of NPY neurons	N/A	BrdU, Ki67, PCNA	Neurons: AgRP, POMC	Proliferation associated with maintenance of body weight	12 weeks	[69]
Cells in Arc, VMH and hypothalamic parenchyma and some tanycytes (α and β)	CNTF and constitutive	N/A	BrdU	Neurons: NPY, POMC; oligodendrocytes	Proliferation associated with ↓ body weight	Adult	[61]
Constitutive	N/A	BrdU, Ki67	Neurons in VMH	N/A	Adult	[62]
Tanycytes (β2), possibly other cells in parenchyma	Stimulated by acute HFD	+	BrdU, Cre lineage-tracing	Neurons in ME and some in Arc	Proliferation associated with ↑body weight	P35–P75	[57]
Tanycytes (α and β1, not β2), other cells in Arc and hypothalamic parenchyma	Inhibited by chronic HFD	+	BrdU, Cre lineage-tracing	Neurospheres, neurons, glia, oligodendrocytes	Loss of stem cells leads to obesity	Adult	[58]

^aAbbreviations: AgRP, agouti-related peptide; Arc, arcuate nucleus; bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; EGF, epidermal growth factor; HFD, high-fat diet; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-1; LD, long photoperiod; ME, median eminence; N/A, not studied; PCNA, proliferating cell nuclear antigen; POMC, proopiomelanocortin; SD, short photoperiod; VMH, ventromedial hypothalamus.

^bSox2 is a defining marker for neural stem-cell populations [47,59,60].