Down regulation of melanin concentrating hormone in virally induced obesity.
Obesity is a complex disease involving genetic components and environmental factors and probably associated with the dysregulation of central homeostasis normally maintained by the hypothalamic neuroendocrine/neurotransmitter network. We previously reported that canine distemper virus (CDV), which is closely related to human measles virus, can target hypothalamic nuclei, and lead to obesity syndrome in the late stages of infection. Here, using differential display PCR, we demonstrate specific down-regulation of melanin-concentrating hormone precursor mRNA (ppMCH) in infected-obese mice. Although ppMCH was down-regulated in all infected mice during the acute stage of infection, this was only seen during the late stage of infection in infected-obese mice. In addition, ppMCH mRNA and protein expression in the lateral hypothalamus was decreased in the absence of neuronal death. These results show the importance of ppMCH in the establishment and maintenance of obesity and the involvement of a virus as an environmental factor.
Verlaeten
O
O
INSERM U433, Neurobiologie Expérimentale et Physiopathologie, Faculté de Médecine RTH Laennec, rue Guillaume Paradin, 69372 Cedex 08, Lyon, France.
Griffond
B
B
Khuth
S T
ST
Giraudon
P
P
Akaoka
H
H
Belin
M F
MF
Fellmann
D
D
Bernard
A
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004216:Distemper / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000502:physiology*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008543:Melanins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D008543:Melanins; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C019463:melanin-concentrating hormone