title: Hypothalamic stearoyl-CoA desaturase-2 (SCD2) controls whole-body energy expenditure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-2 (SCD2) is the main δ9 desaturase expressed in the central nervous system. Because of its potential involvement in controlling whole-body adiposity, we evaluated the expression and function of SCD2 in the hypothalami of mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male mice of different strains were used in real-time PCR, immunoblot and metabolic experiments. In addition, antisense oligonucleotides and lentiviral vectors were used to reduce and increase the expression of SCD2 in the hypothalamus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of SCD2 in the hypothalamus is similar to other regions of the central nervous system and is ~10-fold higher than in any other region of the body. In the arcuate nucleus, SCD2 is expressed in proopiomelanocortin and neuropeptide-Y neurons. Upon high fat feeding, the level of hypothalamic SCD2 increases. Inhibition of hypothalamic SCD2 as accomplished by two distinct approaches, an antisense oligonucleotide or a short-hairpin RNA delivered by a lentivirus, resulted in reduced body mass gain mostly due to increased energy expenditure and increased spontaneous activity. Increasing hypothalamic SCD2 by a lentivirus approach resulted in no change in body mass and food intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, SCD2 is highly expressed in the hypothalami of rodents and its knockdown reduces body mass due to increased whole-body energy expenditure.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: de Moura
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ignacio-Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Razolli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Solon
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: G F P
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Festuccia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Velloso
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000621685:Scd2 protein, mouse; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase