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Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an
orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) peptide that plays an important role
in regulating energy balance. When administered directly into the
central nervous system, animals exhibit an immediate increase in
feeding behavior, and repetitive injections or chronic infusions lead
to obesity. Surprisingly, initial studies of
Npy
/
mice on a mixed genetic background did
not reveal deficits in energy balance, with the exception of an
attenuation in obesity seen in ob/ob mice in which the NPY
gene was also deleted. Here, we show that, on a C57BL/6 background, NPY
ablation is associated with an increase in body weight and adiposity
and a significant defect in refeeding after a fast. This impaired
refeeding response in Npy
/
mice resulted in
a deficit in weight gain in these animals after 24 h of refeeding.
These data indicate that genetic background must be taken into account
when the biological role of NPY is evaluated. When examined on a
C57BL/6 background, NPY is important for the normal refeeding response
after starvation, and its absence promotes mild obesity.
neuropeptide Y; C57BL/6 background
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