Endogenous prolactin-releasing peptide regulates food intake in rodents
Yuki Takayanagi, Hirokazu Matsumoto, Masanori Nakata, Takashi Mera, Shoji Fukusumi, Shuji Hinuma, Yoichi Ueta, Toshihiko Yada, Gareth Leng, Tatsushi Onaka
Yuki Takayanagi, Hirokazu Matsumoto, Masanori Nakata, Takashi Mera, Shoji Fukusumi, Shuji Hinuma, Yoichi Ueta, Toshihiko Yada, Gareth Leng, Tatsushi Onaka
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Research Article Metabolism

Endogenous prolactin-releasing peptide regulates food intake in rodents

Abstract

Food intake is regulated by a network of signals that emanate from the gut and the brainstem. The peripheral satiety signal cholecystokinin is released from the gut following food intake and acts on fibers of the vagus nerve, which project to the brainstem and activate neurons that modulate both gastrointestinal function and appetite. In this study, we found that neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the brainstem that express prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) are activated rapidly by food ingestion. To further examine the role of this peptide in the control of food intake and energy metabolism, we generated PrRP-deficient mice and found that they displayed late-onset obesity and adiposity, phenotypes that reflected an increase in meal size, hyperphagia, and attenuated responses to the anorexigenic signals cholecystokinin and leptin. Hypothalamic expression of 6 other appetite-regulating peptides remained unchanged in the PrRP-deficient mice. Blockade of endogenous PrRP signaling in WT rats by central injection of PrRP-specific mAb resulted in an increase in food intake, as reflected by an increase in meal size. These data suggest that PrRP relays satiety signals within the brain and that selective disturbance of this system can result in obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

Authors

Yuki Takayanagi, Hirokazu Matsumoto, Masanori Nakata, Takashi Mera, Shoji Fukusumi, Shuji Hinuma, Yoichi Ueta, Toshihiko Yada, Gareth Leng, Tatsushi Onaka

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Figure 4

Energy consumption of PrRP-deficient mice.

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Energy utilization in PrRP-deficient and WT mice. BW (A) and food intake...
(A) At the age of 16 weeks, locomotor activity was not significantly different in WT and PrRP-deficient mice (n = 7). (B) VO2 was not significantly different in WT and PrRP-deficient mice at the age of 9 (n = 9 or 11; right), 16 (n = 9 or 11; left, middle, and right), and 51 weeks (n = 5 or 6; right). (C) VO2 was not significantly different in 10- to 11-week-old mice (left) and 12-week-old rats (right) that received an i.c.v. injection of anti-PrRP mAb (mice, n = 8; rats, n = 4). (D) Exposure to a cold environment increased UCP1 mRNA expression in the BAT similarly in WT and PrRP-deficient mice at the age of 24 weeks (n = 4). Error bars indicate SEM. NS, P > 0.05 versus WT mice.