Research interests
The focus of our research at the Centre for Neuroendocrinology is on the neuroendocrine regulation of metabolism. In particular we are interested in the central interaction of the adiposity hormones leptin and insulin, which appears crucial for the maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis. We established that a loss of central leptin action during obesity leads to impaired insulin action, which might explain the striking correlation of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
We investigate neuroendocrine mechanisms that link obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
We focus on manipulating these crucial pathways via nutritive, genetherapeutic and pharmacological approaches to potentially avoid the manifestation of nutrition related diseases.
Clinical conditions
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Bipolar disorder
- Cancer
List of publications for Alexander Tups (Google Scholar)
Tups Laboratory staff and students
Alisa Boucsein, Postdoctoral Fellow
Hypothalamic inflammation as cause of leptin resistance and obesity
Email a.boucsein@otago.ac.nz
Kaj Kamstra, PhD student
WNT signalling and diabetes
Email kajkamstra@hotmail.com
Dominik Pretz, Assistant Research Fellow
Email dominik.pretz@otago.ac.nz
Mohammed Rizwan, Postdoctoral Fellow
Neuroendocrine control of metabolism
Email mohammed.rizwan@otago.ac.nz
Nathan Skinner, PhD student
Circadian desynchrony and its impact on obesity and diabetes
Email skina239@student.otago.ac.nz
Amie Siemonek, Honours student
Hyperinsulinemia in Alzheimer's disease
Visit Our people for an alphabetical list of all Centre for Neuroendocrinology staff.
Publications
Boucsein, A., Rizwan, M. Z., & Tups, A. (2019). Hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and health benefits of time-restricted feeding are dependent on the time of day in male mice. FASEB Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1096/fj.201901004R
Skinner, N. J., Rizwan, M. Z., Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2019). Chronic light cycle-disruption alters central insulin and leptin signalling as well as metabolic markers in male mice. Endocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-00935
Boucsein, A., Rizwan, M. Z., & Tups, A. (2019, July). Time of day-dependent action of hypothalamic leptin signalling. Poster session presented at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) 27th Annual Meeting, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Kamstra, K., Horsfield, J. A., & Tups, A. (2019, July). The effects of leptin mutations and diet-induced obesity on glucose homeostasis in the zebrafish. Poster session presented at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) 27th Annual Meeting, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Pretz, D., Lutz, T., & Tups, A. (2019, July). Beneficial effects of leptin antagonism on glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice. Poster session presented at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) 27th Annual Meeting, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Journal - Research Article
Boucsein, A., Rizwan, M. Z., & Tups, A. (2019). Hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and health benefits of time-restricted feeding are dependent on the time of day in male mice. FASEB Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1096/fj.201901004R
Skinner, N. J., Rizwan, M. Z., Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2019). Chronic light cycle-disruption alters central insulin and leptin signalling as well as metabolic markers in male mice. Endocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-00935
McEwen, H. J. L., Cognard, E., Ladyman, S. R., Khant-Aung, Z., Tups, A., Shepherd, P. R., & Grattan, D. R. (2018). Feeding and GLP-1 receptor activation stabilize beta-catenin in specific hypothalamic nuclei in male rats. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.12607
Sergi, D., Campbell, F. M., Grant, C., Morris, A. C., Bachmair, E.-M., Koch, C., … Tups, A., & Williams, L. M. (2018). SerpinA3N is a novel hypothalamic gene upregulated by a high-fat diet and leptin in mice 06 Biological Sciences 0604 Genetics. Genes & Nutrition, 13, 28. doi: 10.1186/s12263-018-0619-1
Tups, A., Benzler, J., Sergi, D., Ladyman, S. R., & Williams, L. M. (2017). Central regulation of glucose homeostasis. Comprehensive Physiology, 7(2), 741-764. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c160015
Rizwan, M. Z., Mehlitz, S., Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2017). Temporal and regional onset of leptin resistance in diet-induced obese mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 29(10), e12481. doi: 10.1111/jne.12481
Helfer, G., & Tups, A. (2016). Hypothalamic Wnt signalling and its role in energy balance regulation. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 28. doi: 10.1111/jne.12368
Boucsein, A., Benzler, J., Hempp, C., Stöhr, S., Helfer, G., & Tups, A. (2016). Photoperiodic and diurnal regulation of WNT signaling in the arcuate nucleus of the female Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus. Endocrinology, 157(2), 799-809. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1708
Stark, R., Reichenbach, A., Lockie, S. H., Pracht, C., Wu, Q., Tups, A., & Andrews, Z. B. (2015). Acyl ghrelin acts in the brain to control liver function and peripheral glucose homeostasis in male mice. Endocrinology, 156(3), 858-868. doi: 10.1210/en.2014-1733
Benzler, J., Ganjam, G. K., Pretz, D., Oelkrug, R., Koch, C. E., Legler, K., … Tups, A. (2015). Central inhibition of IKKβ/NF-κB signalling attenuates high-fat diet–induced obesity and glucose intolerance. Diabetes, 64, 2015-2027. doi: 10.2337/db14-0093
Koch, C. E., Lowe, C., Pretz, D., Steger, J., Williams, L. M., & Tups, A. (2014). High-fat diet induces leptin resistance in leptin-deficient mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 26(2), 58-67. doi: 10.1111/jne.12131
Briggs, D. I., Lockie, S. H., Benzler, J., Wu, Q., Stark, R., Reichenbach, A., … Tups, A., & Andrews, Z. B. (2014). Evidence that diet-induced hyperleptinemia, but not hypothalamic gliosis, causes ghrelin resistance in NPY/AgRP neurons of male mice. Endocrinology, 155(7), 2411-2422. doi: 10.1210/en.2013-1861
Williams, L. M., Campbell, F. M., Drew, J. E., Koch, C., Hoggard, N., Rees, W. D., … Tups, A. (2014). The development of diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6 mice on a high-fat diet consists of distinct phases. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e106159. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106159
Koch, C. E., Lowe, C., Legler, K., Benzler, J., Boucsein, A., Böttiger, G., Grattan, D. R., … Tups, A. (2014). Central adiponectin acutely improves glucose tolerance in male mice. Endocrinology, 155(5), 1806-1816. doi: 10.1210/en.2013-1734
Penzkofer, D., Bonauer, A., Fischer, A., Tups, A., Brandes, R. P., Zeiher, A. M., & Dimmeler, S. (2014). Phenotypic characterization of miR-92a-/- mice reveals an important function of miR-92a in skeletal development. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e101153. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101153
Koch, C. E., Göddeke, S., Krüger, M., & Tups, A. (2013). Effect of central and peripheral leucine on energy metabolism in the Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 183(2), 261-268. doi: 10.1007/s00360-012-0699-y
Koch, C. E., Ganjam, G. K., Steger, J., Legler, K., Stöhr, S., Schumacher, D., … Tups, A. (2013). The dietary flavonoids naringenin and quercetin acutely impair glucose metabolism in rodents possibly via inhibition of hypothalamic insulin signalling. British Journal of Nutrition, 109(6), 1040-1051. doi: 10.1017/s0007114512003005
Ganjam, G. K., Benzler, J., Pinkenburg, O., Boucsein, A., Stöhr, S., Steger, J., … Tups, A. (2013). Overexpression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 in the arcuate nucleus of juvenile Phodopus sungorus alters seasonal body weight changes. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 183(8), 1101-1111. doi: 10.1007/s00360-013-0772-1
Benzler, J., Ganjam, G. K., Legler, K., Stöhr, S., Krüger, M., Steger, J., & Tups, A. (2013). Acute inhibition of central c-Jun N-terminal kinase restores hypothalamic insulin signalling and alleviates glucose intolerance in diabetic mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 25(5), 446-454. doi: 10.1111/jne.12018
Benzler, J., Andrews, Z. B., Pracht, C., Stöhr, S., Shepherd, P. R., Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2013). Hypothalamic WNT signalling is impaired during obesity and reinstated by leptin treatment in male mice. Endocrinology, 154(12), 4737-4745. doi: 10.1210/en.2013-1746
Tups, A., Stöhr, S., Helwig, M., Barrett, P., Krol, E., Schachtner, J., … Klingenspor, M. (2012). Seasonal leptin resistance is associated with impaired signalling via JAK2-STAT3 but not ERK, possibly mediated by reduced hypothalamic GRB2 protein. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 182(4), 553-567. doi: 10.1007/s00360-011-0637-4
Benzler, J., Ganjam, G. K., Krüger, M., Pinkenburg, O., Kutschke, M., Stöhr, S., … Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2012). Hypothalamic glycogen synthase kinase 3β has a central role in the regulation of food intake and glucose metabolism. Biochemical Journal, 447(1), 175-184. doi: 10.1042/bj20120834
Koch, C., Augustine, R. A., Steger, J., Ganjam, G. K., Benzler, J., Pracht, C., … Anderson, G. M., Grattan, D. R., & Tups, A. (2010). Leptin rapidly improves glucose homeostasis in obese mice by increasing hypothalamic insulin sensitivity. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(48), 16180-16187. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3202-10.2010
Tups, A., Anderson, G. M., Rizwan, M., Augustine, R. A., Chaussade, C., Shepherd, P. R., & Grattan, D. R. (2010). Both p110α and p110β isoforms of phosphatidylinositol 3-OH-kinase are required for insulin signalling in the hypothalamus. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 22(6), 534-542. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01975.x
Tups, A. (2009). Physiological models of leptin resistance [Young investigator perspective]. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 21(11), 961-971. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2009.01916.x
