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Goal
of project: Examination of site-specific inhibition of neuropeptide
Y-induced eating induced by hypothalmic injections of the recently
identified peptide urocortin.
Project Summary:
Increasing evidence suggests that neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino
acid polypeptide hormone widely distributed in the mammalian brain,
plays an important role in the integrative mechanisms controlling
feeding behavior and energy metabolism. Microinjection of NPY into
various areas of the rat hypothalmus stimulates a robust eating
response. Further, NPY injection into the medial hypothalmic paraventricular
nucleus potentiates food intake and chronic NPY into this nucleus
result in rapid weight gain and increased body fat deposition. In
the current summer project, we assessed the ability of the recently
identified corticotropin-releasing factor-like peptide, urocortin,
to antagonize the hypothalmic action of NPY on ingestive behavior.
Our results demonstrate that administration of urocortin directly
into the hypothalmic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) or ventromedial
hypothalmus (PFH) failed to alter NPY feeding. We plan to present
these data along with other recent findings from our labaratory
that have examined the integrative metabolic action of hypothalmic
urocortin and NPY at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society
for Neuroscience in San Diego, November 2001.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that the two hypothalmic peptides, urocortin
and NPY, may interact uniquely within the medial hypothalmus (PVN
and VMN) to modulate energy intake and metabolism.
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