PUBLICATION

Apelin in goldfish (Carassius auratus): cloning, distribution and role in appetite regulation

Authors
Volkoff, H., and Wyatt, J.L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090518-2
Date
2009
Source
Peptides   30(8): 1434-1440 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
apelin, feeding, goldfish, cloning, distribution, food intake, RNA expression
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Appetite Regulation/drug effects*
  • Brain/metabolism
  • Eating/drug effects
  • Fasting/physiology
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Goldfish/metabolism*
  • Hypothalamus/metabolism
  • Injections, Intraperitoneal
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/pharmacology*
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/physiology*
  • Myocardium/metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Spleen/metabolism
  • Telencephalon/metabolism
PubMed
19427346 Full text @ Peptides
Abstract
Apelin is a recently discovered peptide produced by several tissues including brain and adipose tissue. In mammals and zebrafish, apelin regulates cardiovascular functions. Recent evidence in mammals suggest that apelin might also regulate food intake. In this study, we cloned a cDNA encoding apelin and examined apelin mRNA distribution within the brain and in peripheral tissues. We also assessed the effects of fasting on apelin brain mRNA abundance. Apelin mRNA was expressed throughout the brain as well as in several peripheral tissues including brain, spleen, heart and fat. Apelin mRNA abundance in both hypothalamus and telencephalon was significant higher in fasted fish than in fed fish. In order to further characterize apelin in goldfish, we assessed the effects of central (intracerebroventricular, icv) and peripheral (intraperitoneal, ip) injections of apelin-13 on food intake in goldfish. Apelin injected ip at a dose of 100 ng/g or icv at a dose of 10 ng/g induced a significant increase in food intake compared to saline-injected fish. Our results suggest that apelin acts as an orexigenic factor in goldfish. Its widespread distribution in the brain and the periphery also suggests that apelin might have multiple physiological regulating roles in fish.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping