Effect of Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor Deletion on Growth, Pulsatile Growth Hormone Secretion, and Meal Pattern in Male and Female Mice.

INTRODUCTION: While the vast majority of research investigating the role of ghrelin or its receptor, GHS-R1a, in growth, feeding, and metabolism has been conducted in male rodents, very little is known about sex differences in this system. Furthermore, the role of GHS-R1a signaling in the control of pulsatile GH secretion and its link with growth or metabolic parameters has never been characterized. METHODS: We assessed the sex-specific contribution of GHS-R1a signaling in the activity of the GH/IGF-1 axis, metabolic parameters, and feeding behavior in adolescent (5-6 weeks old) or adult (10-19 weeks old) GHS-R KO (Ghsr-/-) and WT (Ghsr+/+) male and female mice. RESULTS: Adult Ghsr-/- male and female mice displayed deficits in weight and linear growth that were correlated with reduced GH pituitary contents in males only. GHS-R1a deletion was associated with reduced meal frequency and increased meal intervals, as well as reduced hypothalamic GHRH and NPY mRNA in males, not females. In adult, GH release from Ghsr-/- mice pituitary explants ex vivo was reduced independently of the sex. However, in vivo pulsatile GH secretion decreased in adult but not adolescent Ghsr-/- females, while in males, GHS-R1a deletion was associated with reduction in pulsatile GH secretion during adolescence exclusively. In males, linear growth did not correlate with pulsatile GH secretion, but rather with ApEn, a measure that reflects irregularity of the rhythmic secretion. Fat mass, plasma leptin concentrations, or ambulatory activity did not predict differences in GH secretion. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: These results point to a sex-dependent dimorphic effect of GHS-R1a signaling to modulate pulsatile GH secretion and meal pattern in mice with different compensatory mechanisms occurring in the hypothalamus of adult males and females after GHS-R1a deletion. Altogether, we show that GHS-R1a signaling plays a more critical role in the regulation of pulsatile GH secretion during adolescence in males and adulthood in females.

Is there a hypothalamic basis for anorexia nervosa?

The hypothalamus has long been known to control food intake and energy metabolism through a complex network of primary and secondary neurons and glial cells. Anorexia nervosa being a complex disorder characterized by abnormal feeding behavior and food aversion, it is thus quite surprising that not much is known concerning potential hypothalamic modifications in this disorder. In this chapter, we review the recent advances in the fields of genetics, epigenetics, structural and functional imaging, and brain connectivity, as well as neuroendocrine findings and emerging animal models, which have begun to unravel the importance of hypothalamic adaptive processes to our understanding of the pathology of eating disorders.

Rational and design of an overfeeding protocol in constitutional thinness: Understanding the physiology, metabolism and genetic background of resistance to weight gain.

BACKGROUND: Constitutional thinness (CT) is a natural state of underweight (13-17.5kg/m2) without the presence of any eating disorders and abnormal hormonal profile, and with preserved menses in women. We previously conducted a four-week fat overfeeding study showing weight gain resistance in CT women and one of our main results was the identification of an energy gap: a positive energy balance (higher energy intake than energy expenditure). OBJECTIVE: This new overfeeding study is designed to confirm the energy gap and propose mechanistic hypothesis. DESIGN: A 2-week overfeeding (daily consumption of one bottle of Renutryl® Booster (600kcal, 30g protein, 72g carbohydrate, 21g fat) on top of the dietary intake) is performed to compare 15 women and men in each CT group (Body Mass Index [BMI]<18.5kg/m2) to their controls (BMI 20-25kg/m2). Bodyweight, food intake, energy expenditure (canopy, calorimetric chamber and Actiheart), body composition (DXA), appetite regulatory hormone profiles after a test meal, proteomics, metabolomics, urinary metabolic profiles, stool microbiome and lipids, fat and muscle transcriptomics are monitored before and after overfeeding. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Data inter-linking will be able to be established with results of this study. The findings could possibly open to therapeutic approaches to help CT patients to gain weight as well as provide a better understanding of energy regulation with regard to treat obesity (resistance to weight loss), a mirror image of CT (resistance to weight gain).

Effects of chronic calorie restriction or dietary resveratrol supplementation on insulin sensitivity markers in a primate, Microcebus murinus.

The prevalence of diabetes and hyperinsulinemia increases with age, inducing metabolic failure and limiting lifespan. Calorie restriction (CR) without malnutrition delays the aging process, but its long-term application to humans seems difficult. Resveratrol (RSV), a dietary polyphenol, appears to be a promising CR mimetic that can be easily administered in humans. In this work, we hypothesized that both CR and RSV impact insulin sensitivity in a non-human primate compared to standard-fed control (CTL) animals. Four- to five-year-old male grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) were assigned to three dietary groups: a CTL group, a CR group receiving 30% fewer calories than the CTL and a RSV group receiving the CTL diet supplemented with RSV (200 mg·day(-1)·kg(-1)). Insulin sensitivity and glycemia were assessed using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index) evaluation after 21 or 33 months of chronic treatment. Resting metabolic rate was also measured to assess the potential relationships between this energy expenditure parameter and insulin sensitivity markers. No differences were found after a 21-month period of treatment, except for lower glucose levels 30 min after glucose loading in CR animals. After 33 months, CR and RSV decreased glycemia after the oral glucose loading without decreasing fasting blood insulin. A general effect of treatment was observed on the HOMA-IR index, with an 81% reduction in CR animals and 53% in RSV animals after 33 months of treatment compared to CTL. Chronic CR and dietary supplementation with RSV affected insulin sensitivity by improving the glucose tolerance of animals without disturbing their baseline insulin secretion. These results suggest that both CR and RSV have beneficial effects on metabolic alterations, although these effects are different in amplitude between the two anti-aging treatments and potentially rely on different metabolic changes.

Sexually dimorphic distribution of sst2A somatostatin receptors on growth hormone-releasing hormone neurons in mice.

The pulsatile pattern of GH secretion exhibits sexual dimorphism that is likely to depend on somatostatin (SRIH) effects on somatoliberin (GHRH) neurons in the hypothalamus. Using transgenic GHRH-enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) mice, no difference in the total number of GHRH-eGFP neurons or change in somatostatin receptor sst2 and SRIH mRNA levels in ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus-arcuate nucleus and periventricular nucleus regions and GHRH mRNA levels in the ventromedial hypothalamic-arcuate region were observed between male and female mice. However, the percentage of GHRH-eGFP neurons bearing sst2A receptors reached 78% in female vs. 26% in male GHRH-eGFP mice (P < 0.02). This sex difference in sst2A distribution on GHRH neurons may play an important role in the sexually differentiated pattern of GH secretion.

Characterization of MCH-gene-overprinted-polypeptide-immunoreactive material in hypothalamus reveals an inhibitory role of pro-somatostatin1-64 on somatostatin secretion.

The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) gene encodes two proteins, pro-MCH and MCH-gene-overprinted polypeptide (MGOP), produced through alternative splicing of the primary transcript. Our initial purpose was to characterize the MGOP-immunoreactive material. First, MGOP mRNA was clearly found in rat and mouse hypothalami but Western blot analysis failed to unambiguously identify MGOP in protein extracts. Immunohistochemical experiments with wild-type and MCH gene-null mice demonstrated genuine expression of MGOP confined to the MCH-containing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus area and the presence of an 'MGOP-like' antigen in periventricular nucleus and arcuate nucleus neurons and their area of projection. This suggested a colocalization in somatostatin (SRIF) hypophysiotropic neurons. Further characterization, using SRIF gene-null mice and Western blot analysis with recombinant proteins, revealed that the MGOP-like product was pro-SRIF1-64. The role of pro-SRIF1-64 on fetal hypothalamic neurons was evaluated and a strong tonic inhibitory effect on SRIF secretion was found. These results (i) indicate that MGOP expression is restricted to the MCH neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and that MGOP-like immunoreactivity outside this system corresponds to pro-SRIF1-64, and (ii) provide the first evidence for a negative feedback regulation by pro-SRIF1-64 on SRIF secretion, suggesting new mechanisms by which the pro-region of a neuropeptide precursor may control the regulated secretion of a neuropeptide derived from the same precursor.

Delayed age-associated decrease in growth hormone pulsatile secretion and increased orexigenic peptide expression in the Lou C/JaLL rat.

Since modifications in the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF-1) axis and/or caloric restriction are involved in the ageing process, GH secretory profiles, total IGF-1, ghrelin, and leptin plasma levels and expression of genes implicated in somatotrope axis and food intake regulation in hypothalamus and pituitary were compared in 3-, 12-, and 24-month-old male Lou C/Jall rats and their parent strain, the Wistar rats. The Lou C/Jall strain may appear as a healthy ageing model, since it does not become obese with age and maintains its caloric intake at 2 years of age. The GH pulsatile secretion decreased from 3 months in Wistar, but only after 12 months in Lou C/Jall rats. The IGF-1 levels were lower in Lou C/Jall rats and decreased more steeply with ageing as compared with Wistar rats. The total ghrelin levels were higher in young Lou C/Jall rats than in Wistar rats, but increased similarly with age in both strains. The leptin concentrations increased with ageing only in Wistar rats. By semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, pituitary GH secretagogue receptors and GH mRNA levels were more abundant in Lou C/Jall rats, and the latter decreased with ageing in Wistar rats only. Hypothalamic growth-hormone-releasing hormone and GH secretagogue receptor mRNA levels were similar in both strains and transiently increased only in middle-aged Wistar rats. Agouti-related peptide, neuropeptide Y, and orexin mRNA levels were more abundant in the Lou C/Jall rat hypothalamus, and the two former tended to further increase with age only in this strain. Conversely, the hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA levels were higher in old Wistar rats. In conclusion, ageing in Lou C/Jall rats is associated with a delayed decrease in pulsatile GH secretion in the presence of a lower IGF-1 tone and an increase in the expression of orexigenic neuropeptides in the hypothalamus.