title: Macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1/GDF15) decreases food intake, body weight and improves glucose tolerance in mice on normal & obesogenic diets.
abstract: Food intake and body weight are controlled by a variety of central and peripheral factors, but the exact mechanisms behind these processes are still not fully understood. Here we show that that macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1/GDF15), known to have anorexigenic effects particularly in cancer, provides protection against the development of obesity. Both under a normal chow diet and an obesogenic diet, the transgenic overexpression of MIC-1/GDF15 in mice leads to decreased body weight and fat mass. This lean phenotype was associated with decreased spontaneous but not fasting-induced food intake, on a background of unaltered energy expenditure and reduced physical activity. Importantly, the overexpression of MIC-1/GDF15 improved glucose tolerance, both under normal and high fat-fed conditions. Altogether, this work shows that the molecule MIC-1/GDF15 might be beneficial for the treatment of obesity as well as perturbations in glucose homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Macia
authors.forename: Vicky Wang-Wei
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Amy D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Johnen
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuffner
authors.forename: Yan-Chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Samuel N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Breit
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sainsbury
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15; D005947:Glucose