Fasting-regulated mechanisms in inter-organ crosstalk

Abstract

The adaptation to changing environmental cues represents a key prerequisite for the survival of an organism. Mammals, including humans, have evolved intricate endocrine signals to convey information about the nutritional status to individual organs, cells, and eventually the cell nucleus, to trigger appropriate molecular-metabolic responses. To this end, mounting a proper fasting response is determined by not only intra-organ adaptations but also inter-tissue crosstalk mechanisms that orchestrate whole-body energy homeostasis under nutrient-deprived conditions. Here, we shortly summarize recent advances in our current understanding of the key processes driving the adaptive response to fasting with a focus on the crosstalk between the adipose tissue and liver ketogenesis.