Melanin-concentrating hormone expression in slice cultures of rat hypothalamus is not affected by 2-deoxyglucose.
In rats, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons are mainly located within the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). This area is known to be involved in the control of feeding and to contain glucose-sensitive cells. As a role for MCH in the regulation of food intake has been reported, we investigated the effects of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) on MCH expression in cultured LHA slices, to verify if MCH neurons are sensitive to local glucoprivation through a modulation of MCH synthesis. After a 2-10 h 2DG incubation, competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) did not show any variation of MCH mRNA; no change was also observed in MCH immunocytochemical labeling. A slight decrease of MCH mRNA (5-15%) after a 17 h 2DG treatment might be due to a general degradation of neurons induced by long-term glucoprivation. In conclusion, we suggest that MCH neurons are not the glucose-sensitive cells previously described in the LHA and that the signals inducing their previously reported response to glycemia variations do not arise from the LHA itself.
CNRS ESA 6025, Laboratoire d'Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Besançon, France.
L
L
Bayer
F
F
Poncet
D
D
Fellmann
B
B
Griffond
D000818:Animals; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008547:Melanophores / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D008543:Melanins; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C019463:melanin-concentrating hormone; D003847:Deoxyglucose