Abstract
It has been reported that intraventricular administration of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4-R) agonist MT II and antagonist SHU9119 alter food intake. We found that MT II and SHU9119 have extremely potent effects on feeding when injected in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a site where MC4-R gene expression is very high. Our finding provides direct evidence that MC4-R signaling is important in mediating food intake and that melanocortin neurons in the PVN exert a tonic inhibition of feeding behavior. Chronic disruption of this inhibitory signal is a possible explanation of the agouti-obesity syndrome.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Eating / drug effects*
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Ligands
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Male
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Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones / pharmacology*
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Neuropeptides / pharmacology
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Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / drug effects
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Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / physiology*
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Peptides, Cyclic / pharmacology
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Rats
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4
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Receptors, Corticotropin / agonists*
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Receptors, Corticotropin / antagonists & inhibitors*
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alpha-MSH / analogs & derivatives
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alpha-MSH / pharmacology
Substances
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Ligands
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Neuropeptides
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Peptides, Cyclic
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Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4
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Receptors, Corticotropin
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acetyl-norleucyl-aspartyl-histidyl-phenylalanyl-arginyl-beta-methyltryptophyl-lysinamide, cyclic (2-7)-peptide
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SHU 9119
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alpha-MSH
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Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones