Influence of photoperiod and gonadal status on food intake, adiposity, and gene expression of hypothalamic appetite regulators in a seasonal mammal

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. R242-R252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantacha Anukulkitch ◽  
Alexandra Rao ◽  
Frank R. Dunshea ◽  
Dominique Blache ◽  
Gerald A. Lincoln ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Leptin Receptor ◽  
Reproductive Axis ◽  
Pomc Gene ◽  
Gonadal Status ◽  
Long Photoperiod ◽  
Refractory Phase

We studied the effects of photoperiod on metabolic profiles, adiposity, and gene expression of hypothalamic appetite-regulating peptides in gonad-intact and castrated Soay rams. Groups of five to six animals were studied 6, 18, or 30 wk after switching from long photoperiod (LP: 16 h of light) to short photoperiod (SP: 8 h of light). Reproductive and metabolic indexes were measured in blood plasma. Expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and leptin receptor (ObRb) in the arcuate nucleus was measured using in situ hybridization. Testosterone levels of intact animals were low under LP, increased to a peak at 16 wk under SP, and then declined. Voluntary food intake (VFI) was high under LP in both intact and castrated animals, decreased to a nadir at 12–16 wk under SP, and then recovered, but only in intact rams as the reproductive axis became photorefractory to SP. NPY gene expression varied positively and POMC expression varied negatively with the cycle in VFI, with differences between intact and castrate rams in the refractory phase. ObRb expression decreased under SP, unrelated to changes in VFI. Visceral fat weight also varied between the intact and castrated animals across the cycle. We conclude that 1) photoperiodic changes in VFI reflect changes in NPY and POMC gene expression, 2) changes in ObRb gene expression are not necessarily determinants of changes in VFI, 3) gonadal status affects the pattern of VFI that changes with photoperiod, and 4) in the absence of gonadal factors, animals can eat less but gain adiposity.

Effect of leptin administration versus re-feeding on hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression in fasted male rats

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1128-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward D McAlister ◽  
Dean A Van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Leptin Receptor ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
In Situ Hybridization Histochemistry ◽  
Reproductive Axis ◽  
Physiological Relevance ◽  
Long Form ◽  
Induced Changes

Adipocytes are the primary source of circulating leptin. Leptin inhibits eating, increases metabolism, and stimulates the reproductive axis. Numerous hypothalamic neuropeptides have been implicated in leptin's behavioral and neuroendocrine effects, including neuropeptide Y (NPY) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART). The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological relevance of leptin's signaling of nutritional status by comparing the effects of leptin with the effects of re-feeding on fasting-induced changes in the expression of the long form of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb), NPY, and CART. Adult male rats were fasted for 48 h and treated with either intra cere broventricular (i.c.v.) or subcutaneous (s.c.) leptin throughout the fast, or fed ad libitum for 24 h after terminating the fast. Expression of NPY, Ob-Rb, and CART mRNA in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) was determined by in situ hybridization histochemistry and compared with vehicle-treated fed or fasted controls. Fasting increased NPY and Ob-Rb expression and decreased CART expression in the ARC. Leptin (regardless of route) and re-feeding were equally effective in normalizing CART mRNA expression. A similar trend was observed with Ob-Rb expression. In contrast, neither re-feeding nor s.c. leptin reversed the increased expression of NPY that was induced by fasting. Only i.c.v. leptin was effective in this regard. Our results indicate leptin and re-feeding are equally effective in normalizing fasting-induced changes in CART and Ob-Rb expression, but less effective in normalizing NPY expression. These results suggest that leptin is the primary nutritional signal regulating CART and Ob-Rb expression in the ARC, and highlight potential differences between CART and NPY neuron sensitivity to leptin signaling.Key words: CART, leptin receptor, NPY, neuropeptide gene expression, fasting, refeeding, hypothalamus.

Blunted hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression in response to fasting, but preservation of feeding responses to AgRP in aging male Brown Norway rats

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. R138-R146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Wolden-Hanson ◽  
Brett T. Marck ◽  
Alvin M. Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Brown Norway ◽  
Saline Control ◽  
Melanocortin System ◽  
Maintain Body Weight ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Norway Rats

Aging mammals lose the ability to maintain energy balance, exhibiting decreased appetite (anorexia) and impaired ability to maintain body weight. To determine the contribution of hypothalamic neuropeptides, two experiments were performed in male Brown Norway rats. To assess the hypothalamic neuropeptide response to food deprivation, young (Y; 4 mo old), middle-aged (M; 13 mo), and old (O; 25 mo) rats were either ad libitum fed or fasted for 72 h ( n = 10/group) and killed. Hypothalamic levels of agouti-related peptide (AgRP), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and cocaine-amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) mRNA were assessed by in situ hybridization. With aging, arcuate AgRP gene expression decreased and CART mRNA increased, but POMC mRNA did not change. Fasting-induced changes in gene expression of all neuropeptides studied were attenuated with aging. To test the food intake response to appetite-stimulating neuropeptides, Y, M, O, and very old (VO; 33 mo) rats ( n = 4–8/group) received one intracerebroventricular injection of each of three treatments: 0.1 nmol AgRP, 2.34 nmol NPY, and saline control. AgRP increased food intake of all groups by 10–20%, compared with saline, and this effect persisted up to 7 days after injection. VO animals were more sensitive to the effects of AgRP than younger animals. In contrast, NPY increased food intake more in Y than in older animals and its effects did not last >24 h. We conclude that the mechanisms by which arcuate nucleus neurons influence appetite are differentially affected by age and speculate that the melanocortin system may be a useful target for treatment of the anorexia of aging.

scholarly journals Immunolesion of Norepinephrine and Epinephrine Afferents to Medial Hypothalamus Alters Basal and 2-Deoxy-d-Glucose-Induced Neuropeptide Y and Agouti Gene-Related Protein Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Expression in the Arcuate Nucleus

Endocrinology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Fraley ◽  
S. Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Neuropeptide Y ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
Medial Hypothalamus ◽  
Agouti Gene

Abstract Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti gene-related protein (AGRP) are orexigenic peptides of special importance for control of food intake. In situ hybridization studies have shown that NPY and AGRP mRNAs are increased in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) by glucoprivation. Other work has shown that glucoprivation stimulates food intake by activation of hindbrain glucoreceptor cells and requires the participation of rostrally projecting norepinephrine (NE) or epinephrine (E) neurons. Here we determine the role of hindbrain catecholamine afferents in glucoprivation-induced increase in ARC NPY and AGRP gene expression. The selective NE/E immunotoxin saporin-conjugated antidopamineβ-hydroxylase (anti-dβh) was microinjected into the medial hypothalamus and expression of AGRP and NPY mRNA was analyzed subsequently in the ARC under basal and glucoprivic conditions using 33P-labeled in situ hybridization. Saporin-conjugated anti-dβh virtually eliminated dβh-immunoreactive terminals in the ARC without causing nonspecific damage. These lesions significantly increased basal but eliminated 2-deoxy-d-glucose-induced increases in AGRP and NPY mRNA expression. Results indicate that hindbrain catecholaminergic neurons contribute to basal NPY and AGRP gene expression and mediate the responsiveness of NPY and AGRP neurons to glucose deficit. Our results also suggest that catecholamine neurons couple potent orexigenic neural circuitry within the hypothalamus with hindbrain glucose sensors that monitor brain glucose supply.

Lateral ventricular ghrelin and fourth ventricular ghrelin induce similar increases in food intake and patterns of hypothalamic gene expression

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (6) ◽  
pp. R1565-R1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly P. Kinzig ◽  
Karen A. Scott ◽  
Jayson Hyun ◽  
Sheng Bi ◽  
Timothy H. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Fourth Ventricle ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Stimulatory Action ◽  
Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Ghrelin Receptors ◽  
The Brain

The gut peptide ghrelin has been shown to stimulate food intake after both peripheral and central administration, and the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus has been proposed to be the major site for mediating this feeding stimulatory action. Ghrelin receptors are widely distributed in the brain, and hindbrain ghrelin administration has been shown to potently stimulate feeding, suggesting that there may be other sites for ghrelin action. In the present study, we have further assessed potential sites for ghrelin action by comparing the ability of lateral and fourth ventricular ghrelin administration to stimulate food intake and alter patterns of hypothalamic gene expression. Ghrelin (0.32, 1, or 3.2 nmol) in the lateral or fourth ventricle significantly increased food intake in the first 4 h after injection, with no ventricle-dependent differences in degree or time course of hyperphagia. One nanomole of ghrelin into either the lateral or fourth ventricle resulted in similar increases in arcuate nucleus neuropeptide Y mRNA expression. Expression levels of agouti-related peptide or proopiomelanocortin mRNA were not affected by ghrelin administration. These data demonstrate that ghrelin can affect food intake and hypothalamic gene expression through interactions at multiple brain sites.

scholarly journals Three weeks of postweaning exercise in DIO rats produces prolonged increases in central leptin sensitivity and signaling

2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (3) ◽  
pp. R537-R548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christa M. Patterson ◽  
Sebastien G. Bouret ◽  
Ambrose A. Dunn-Meynell ◽  
Barry E. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Leptin Receptor ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Decrease Food Intake ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Leptin Sensitivity

In rats selectively bred to develop diet-induced obesity (DIO) 3 wk of postweaning exercise reduces weight and adipose regain for 10 wk after exercise cessation, despite intake of 31% fat high-energy (HE) diet. To test the hypothesis that this effect is due to increased central leptin sensitivity, 4-wk-old DIO rats were fed the HE diet and left sedentary (Sed), exercised for 3 wk, and then remained sedentary for 10 additional weeks (Ex/Sed) or continued exercise for a full 13 wk (Ex). After 3 wk, leptin (5 mg/kg ip) induced a 36% decrease in 24-h food intake in Ex rats, while Sed rats had no change in 24-h intake. Ex rats also had 23% more leptin-induced phospho-STAT3 (pSTAT3)-expressing neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and 95% and 68% higher 125I-labeled leptin receptor binding in the ventromedial and dorsomedial nuclei than did Sed rats, respectively. At 7 wk after onset, leptin decreased 24-h intake by 20% in Ex and 24% in Ex/Sed rats without altering Sed intake. After a total of 13 wk, compared with Sed rats, Ex and Ex/Sed rats had 58% and 38% less fat, respectively, but leptin failed to decrease food intake in any group. Nevertheless, Ex, but not Ex/Sed rats, still had 32% more ARC leptin-induced pSTAT3-expressing neurons than Sed rats. These data suggest that brief postweaning exercise in DIO rats that are inherently leptin resistant causes a sustained resistance to obesity on HE diet, which is, in part, due to increased central leptin sensitivity.

Expression of FAS within hypothalamic neurons: a model for decreased food intake after C75 treatment

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (5) ◽  
pp. E867-E879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Kyoung Kim ◽  
Ian Miller ◽  
Leslie E. Landree ◽  
Felice F. Borisy-Rudin ◽  
Pierre Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Fatty Acid Synthase ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Potent Inhibitor ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Axon Terminals ◽  
Paraventricular Nuclei ◽  
Brain Expression

We previously demonstrated that C75, a specific and potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS), reduced food intake and decreased body weight in mice. In the present study, we determined that these effects were not due to conditioned taste aversion. To investigate the mechanism of C75 action, we examined FAS brain expression. FAS was expressed in a number of brain regions, including arcuate and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) within regions that comprise the arcuate-PVN pathway in mouse and human. Although C75 and fasting significantly downregulated liver FAS, FAS levels remained high in hypothalamus, indicating that FAS levels were regulated differently in brain from those in liver. Double fluorescence in situ for FAS and neuropeptide Y (NPY) showed that FAS co-localized with NPY in neurons in the arcuate nucleus. NPY immnuoreactivity after C75 treatment was decreased in axon terminals that innervate the PVN and lateral hypothalamus. Collectively, these results demonstrate that FAS is present and active in neurons and suggests that C75 may alter food intake via interactions within the arcuate-PVN pathway mediated by NPY.

scholarly journals Age-associated gene expression changes in the arcuate nucleus of male rhesus macaques

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique H Eghlidi ◽  
Vasilios T Garyfallou ◽  
Steven G Kohama ◽  
Henryk F Urbanski
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Sex Steroid ◽  
Steroid Dependent ◽  
Reproductive Axis ◽  
Significant Gene ◽  
Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Male Rhesus ◽  
Arc Gene

The hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) represents a major component of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis and plays an important role in controlling the onset of puberty as well as age-associated reproductive senescence. Although significant gene expression changes have been observed in the ARC during sexual maturation, it is unclear what changes occur during aging, especially in males. Therefore, in the present study, we profiled the expression of reproduction-related genes in the ARC of young and old male rhesus macaques, as well as old males that had received 6 months of hormone supplementation (HS) in the form of daily testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone; we also compared morning vs night ARC gene expression in the old males. Using Affymetrix gene microarrays, we found little evidence for age-associated expression changes for genes associated with the neuroendocrine reproductive axis, whereas using qRT-PCR, we detected a similar age-associated decrease in PGR (progesterone receptor) that we previously observed in postmenopausal females. We also detected a sex-steroid-dependent and age-associated decrease in androgen receptor (AR) expression, with highest AR levels being expressed at night (i.e., coinciding with the natural peak in daily testosterone secretion). Finally, unlike previous observations made in females, we did not find a significant age-associated increase in KISS1 (Kisspeptin) or TAC3 (Neurokinin B) expression in the ARC of males, most likely because the attenuation of circulating sex-steroid levels in the males was much less than that in postmenopausal females. Taken together, the data highlight some similarities and differences in ARC gene expression between aged male and female nonhuman primates.

Leptin receptor-deficient obese Zucker rats reduce their food intake in response to hypobaric hypoxia

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (3) ◽  
pp. E591-E597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Simler ◽  
Alexandra Grosfeld ◽  
André Peinnequin ◽  
Michèle Guerre-Millo ◽  
André-Xavier Bigard
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Hypobaric Hypoxia ◽  
Leptin Receptor ◽  
Zucker Rats ◽  
Hypoxia Exposure ◽  
Obese Rats ◽  
Hypothalamic Neuropeptides

Exposure to hypoxia induces anorexia in humans and rodents, but the role of leptin remains under discussion and that of orexigenic and anorexigenic hypothalamic neuropeptides remains unknown. The present study was designed to address this issue by using obese (Leprfa/Leprfa) Zucker rats, a rat model of genetic leptin receptor deficiency. Homozygous lean (LeprFA/LeprFA) and obese (Leprfa/Leprfa) rats were randomly assigned to two groups, either kept at ambient pressure or exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 1, 2, or 4 days (barometric pressure, 505 hPa). Food intake and body weight were recorded throughout the experiment. The expression of leptin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) genes was studied in adipose tissue with real-time quantitative PCR and that of selected orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptides was measured in the hypothalamus. Lean and obese rats exhibited a similar hypophagia (38 and 67% of initial values at day 1, respectively, P < 0.01) and initial decrease in body weight during hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia led to increased plasma leptin levels only in obese rats. This resulted from increased leptin gene expression in adipose tissue in response to hypoxia, in association with enhanced VEGF gene expression. Increased hypothalamic neuropeptide Y levels in lean rats 2 days after hypoxia exposure contributed to accounting for the enhanced food consumption. No significant changes occurred in the expression of other hypothalamic neuropeptides involved in the control of food intake. This study demonstrates unequivocally that altitude-induced anorexia cannot be ascribed to anorectic signals triggered by enhanced leptin production or alterations of hypothalamic neuropeptides involved in anabolic or catabolic pathways.

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