Sex-related difference in food-anticipatory activity of mice.
The expression of food-anticipatory activity (FAA) is induced by restricted feeding (RF), and its entrainment requires food-entrainable oscillators, the neuroanatomical basis of which is currently unclear. Although RF impacts various hormones, sex-related differences in FAA are unclear. 'Here, we report significantly more food-anticipatory wheel-running activity in male than in female mice during RF. In parallel with the sex-related difference in FAA, male and female mice display different food intake and body weight in response to RF. Since gonadal hormones could be involved in the sex-specific difference in FAA, we compared sham and gonadectomized male and female wild-type mice. In gonadectomized mice, the sex difference in FAA was abolished, indicating a role for gonadal hormones in FAA. Further, plasma concentrations of the hormone ghrelin were higher in female than in male mice during ad libitum (AL) feeding, and RF induced a temporal advance in its peak in both sexes. RF also shifted the expression peak of the circadian gene mPer1 in the hippocampus and liver, although no sex difference was found in either the level or the cyclic phase of its expression. Per1(Brdm1) mutant mice were still sexually dimorphic for FAA, but diminished FAA was noted in both male and female Per2(Brdm1) mutant mice. In summary, our results imply that gonadal hormones contribute to the sex difference in FAA, possibly through modulating ghrelin activity.
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Ecological Animal Science and Environmental Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China; Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Zhigang
Z
Li
Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Yan
Y
Wang
University of CA, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.
Kevin Kai
KK
Sun
Institute of Genomic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou 325000, China.
Kangli
K
Wang
Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute of Genomic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou 325000, China. Electronic address: sunzs@mail.biols.ac.cn.
Zhong Sheng
ZS
Sun
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: zhaomei@psych.ac.cn.
Mei
M
Zhao
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Ecological Animal Science and Environmental Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China. Electronic address: wangjd@sxau.edu.cn.
Jundong
J
Wang
D000818:Animals; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D054439:Ghrelin; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; C539023:Per1 protein, mouse; C513312:Per2 protein, mouse; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins
Food-anticipatory activity; Ghrelin; Gonadal hormones; Sex differences; mPer1