PUBLICATION

Food deprivation increases the expression of melanocortin-4 receptor in the liver of barfin flounder, Verasper moseri

Authors
Kobayashi, Y., Tsuchiya, K., Yamanome, T., Schiöth, H.B., Kawauchi, H., and Takahashi, A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-070629-14
Date
2008
Source
General and comparative endocrinology   155(2): 280-287 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Adrenocorticotropic hormone, Energy homeostasis, Food deprivation, Flounder, Liver, Melanocyte-stimulating hormone, Melanocortin receptor, Melanocortin system
MeSH Terms
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Energy Metabolism/genetics*
  • Energy Metabolism/physiology
  • Flounder/genetics
  • Flounder/metabolism*
  • Food Deprivation/physiology*
  • Liver/metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nutritional Status/genetics
  • Nutritional Status/physiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/genetics
  • Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/metabolism*
  • Sequence Homology
PubMed
17575981 Full text @ Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.
Abstract
The melanocortin (MC) system is composed of melanocyte-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone and their receptors. The MC system has a role in both pigmentation and the regulation of energy homeostasis, in which MC4R, one of the five MC receptors, has a key role. Interestingly, the barfin flounder (Pleuronectiformes) reared with a black background shows retarded growth compared to white background-reared fish, which could be associated with the MC system because of its dual role in regulating pigmentation and energy status. Here, we cloned MC4R and assessed the effects of feeding status on its expression in barfin flounder. Barfin flounder MC4R was composed of 325 amino acids and showed the highest sequence identity to MC4R of fugu (85%), followed by rainbow trout (82%), zebrafish (79%), goldfish (78%), dogfish (71%), chickens (67%), humans (67%) and mice (65%). Among 18 different tissues examined, the predominant expression of MC4R was observed in the brain, liver, testis and ovary as detected with reverse transcription PCR. Food deprivation resulted in a 4-fold increase in the number of MC4R transcripts in the liver, whereas no change was observed in the brain between fasted fish and fed controls. These results suggest that the MC system including MC4R is associated with energy homeostasis in barfin flounder and that peripheral tissues could play a role in this regulation.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping