Fig. 2.

Development of the VMHvl module that modulates energy homeostasis in females. a) ERα immunostaining demonstrates that expression is restricted to the VMHvl in female mice as well as the arcute nucleus (ARC). Fewer VMH^ERα neurons are born in the Nkx2-1^Sf1-Cre mutant females (Mutant) compared to Nkx2-1^fl/fl control females (WT), as described in text. Third ventricle (3V). b) VMHvl neurons do not express SF-1, as illustrated by the lack of GFP-positive neurons using a knock-in reporter (Sf-1)^TauGFP. However, Cre-mediated lineage tracing (Z/EG)^Sf1:Cre reveals that most VMHvl neurons derive from SF1-expressing precursors. c) Postnatal NKX2-1 expression is largely restricted to ERα-positive and SF-1-negative VMHvl neurons