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Down regulation of melanin concentrating hormone in virally induced obesity

O Verlaeten1, B Griffond, S T Khuth

  • 1INSERM U433, Neurobiologie Expérimentale et Physiopathologie, Faculté de Médecine RTH Laennec, rue Guillaume Paradin, 69372 Cedex 08, Lyon, France.

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
|July 31, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection down-regulates melanin-concentrating hormone precursor mRNA (ppMCH) in mice, contributing to obesity. This viral environmental factor impacts hypothalamic function and ppMCH expression, crucial for maintaining energy balance.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Virology
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Obesity is a complex condition influenced by genetics and environment, often involving hypothalamic dysregulation.
  • Canine distemper virus (CDV), related to measles virus, has been previously shown to target hypothalamic nuclei and induce obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of melanin-concentrating hormone precursor mRNA (ppMCH) in CDV-induced obesity.
  • To determine if viral infection affects ppMCH expression in the hypothalamus.

Main Methods:

  • Differential display PCR was used to identify gene expression changes in infected mice.
  • Analysis of ppMCH mRNA and protein levels in the hypothalamus of infected-obese mice.

Main Results:

  • Specific down-regulation of ppMCH mRNA was observed in infected-obese mice during the late stage of infection.
  • ppMCH mRNA and protein expression decreased in the lateral hypothalamus without neuronal death.
  • ppMCH down-regulation was transient in acute infection but persistent in obese mice.

Conclusions:

  • ppMCH plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of obesity.
  • Viral infections, like CDV, can act as environmental factors triggering obesity through hypothalamic mechanisms.
  • Targeting ppMCH pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for obesity related to viral infections.

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