Ghrelin is a newly discovered peptide that is released from the stomach and from neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) and potently stimulates growth hormone release and food intake. Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) neurons in the ARC play an important role in the stimulation of food intake. The present study aimed to determine whether ghrelin directly activates NPY neurons and, if so, to explore its signaling mechanisms. Whether the neurons that respond to ghrelin could be regulated by orexin and leptin was also examined. G hrelin, an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor (GHSR), is synthesized abundantly in the stomach and to a much lesser extent in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) (1). Peripheral or intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of ghrelin releases growth hormone, stimulates food intake, and increases body weight in mice, rats, and humans (1-8). ICV injection of antighrelin IgG suppresses starvation-induced feeding (3). The daily pattern of plasma ghrelin levels in normal humans is characterized by a preprandial rise and postprandial fall (9). These findings have suggested that ghrelin plays a physiological role in the meal initiation.The neuropeptide-Y (NPY)-containing neurons localized in the ARC have been implicated in the stimulation of food intake-injection of NPY into the hypothalamus of rats potently stimulates food intake (10), and NPY secretion in the hypothalamus is increased during fasting (11). Regarding a possible link between ghrelin and the NPY neurons in the ARC, it has been shown that GHSR mRNA is expressed in 94% of the NPY neurons in the ARC by double-labeling in situ hybridization histochemistry (12). Systemic or ICV administration of ghrelin causes the ARC neurons to express Fos and Egr-1 (3,13-15) and ϳ90% of these Fos-positive neurons express NPY mRNA (13). Moreover, ghrelin increases the expression of NPY mRNA (3-5), and ICV administration of a NPY Y1 antagonist suppresses the ghrelin-stimulated food intake (3-5,15). These findings suggest that the NPY neurons in the ARC could be an important effector for the orexigenic action of ghrelin.

Orexin-A and -B (hypocretin-1 and -2) have been implicated in the stimulation of feeding. Here we show the effector neurons and signaling mechanisms for the orexigenic action of orexins in rats. Immunohistochemical methods showed that orexin axon terminals contact with neuropeptide Y (NPY)- and proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-positive neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the rats. Microinjection of orexins into the ARC markedly increased food intake. Orexins increased cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in the isolated neurons from the ARC, which were subsequently shown to be immunoreactive for NPY. The increases in [Ca(2+)](i) were inhibited by blockers of phospholipase C (PLC), protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca(2+) uptake into endoplasmic reticulum. The stimulation of food intake and increases in [Ca(2+)](i) in NPY neurons were greater with orexin-A than with orexin-B, indicative of involvement of the orexin-1 receptor (OX(1)R). In contrast, orexin-A and -B equipotently attenuated [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations and decreased [Ca(2+)](i) levels in POMC-containing neurons. These effects were counteracted by pertussis toxin, suggesting involvement of the orexin-2 receptor and Gi/Go subtypes of GTP-binding proteins. Orexins also decreased [Ca(2+)](i) levels in glucose-responsive neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), a satiety center. Leptin exerted opposite effects on these three classes of neurons. These results demonstrate that orexins directly regulate NPY, POMC and glucose-responsive neurons in the ARC and VMH, in a manner reciprocal to leptin. Orexin-A evokes Ca(2+) signaling in NPY neurons via OX(1)R-PLC-PKC and IP(3) pathways. These neural pathways and intracellular signaling mechanisms may play key roles in the orexigenic action of orexins.

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The orexin-orexin receptor system has been implicated in the regulation of wakefulness/sleep states. Behavioral and psycho-stimulant effects of orexins have also been shown. Mesolimbic dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are implicated in the regulation of reward and wakefulness/sleep, In the present study, we examined the effect of orexin-A on cytosolic [Ca2+]i concentration ([Ca2+]) in the isolated rat VTA dopamine neurons. Orexin-A (10-12-10-8 M) concentration dependently increased [Ca2+]i in dopamine-containing neurons. The [Ca2+]i responses to orexin-A were inhibited under Ca2+-free conditions and by blockers of voltage-gated L- and N-type [Ca2+]i channels, nitrendipine and omega-conotoxin, respectively. The [Ca2+]i responses were also abolished by a phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C inhibitor, D609, and a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, calphostin C. A PKC activator, TPA, mimicked orexin-A in increasing [Ca2+]i. These results indicate that orexin-A increases [Ca2+]i in VTA dopamine neurons via phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC- and PKC-mediated activation of L- and N-type Ca2+ channels. This effect may serve as the mechanism by which orexin regulates wakefulness/sleep states and exerts its behavioral and psychostimulant effects.

Chorea-acanthocytosis (CHAC) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder with autosomal recessive transmission, in which selective degeneration of striatum has been reported in brain pathology. Clinically, CHAC shows Huntington's disease-like neuropsychiatric symptoms and red blood cell acanthocytosis. Recently, we identified the gene, CHAC, encoding a novel protein, chorein, in which a deletion mutation was found in Japanese families with CHAC. In the present study, we have identified the mouse CHAC cDNA sequence and the exon-intron structures of the gene and produced a CHAC model mouse introducing no. 60-61 exon deletion corresponding to a human disease mutation by a genetargeting technique. The mice began to show acanthocytosis and motor disturbance in old age. In behavioral observations, locomotor activity was significantly decreased and the contact time at social interaction test was decreased significantly in the model mice. In the brain pathology, many apoptotic cells were observed in the striatum of the mutant mice. In neurochemical determinations, the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid, concentration decreased significantly in the portion including the midbrain of the mutant mice. These findings are consistent with the human results reported elsewhere and indicate that the CHAC model mice showed a mild phenotype with late adult onset. The CHAC model mouse therefore provides a good model system to study the human disease.

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ATPase senses systemic energy states and regulates feeding behavior through glucose-inhibited neurons. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 309: E320 -E333, 2015. First published June 16, 2015; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00446.2014Feeding is regulated by perception in the hypothalamus, particularly the first-order arcuate nucleus (ARC) neurons, of the body's energy state. However, the cellular device for converting energy states to the activity of critical neurons in ARC is less defined. We here show that Na ϩ ,K ϩ -ATPase (NKA) in ARC senses energy states to regulate feeding. Fasting-induced systemic ghrelin rise and glucose lowering reduced ATP-hydrolyzing activity of NKA and its substrate ATP level, respectively, preferentially in ARC. Lowering glucose concentration (LG), which mimics fasting, decreased intracellular NAD(P)H and increased Na ϩ concentration in single ARC neurons that subsequently exhibited [Ca 2ϩ ]i responses to LG, showing that they were glucose-inhibited (GI) neurons. Third ventricular injection of the NKA inhibitor ouabain induced c-Fos expression in agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons in ARC and evoked neuropeptide Y (NPY)-dependent feeding. When injected focally into ARC, ouabain stimulated feeding and mRNA expressions for NPY and AgRP. Ouabain increased [Ca 2ϩ ]i in single NPY/AgRP neurons with greater amplitude than in proopiomelanocortin neurons in ARC. Conversely, the specific NKA activator SSA412 suppressed fasting-induced feeding and LG-induced [Ca 2ϩ ]i increases in ARC GI neurons. NPY/AgRP neurons highly expressed NKA␣3, whose knockdown impaired feeding behavior. These results demonstrate that fasting, via ghrelin rise and LG, suppresses NKA enzyme/pump activity in ARC and thereby promotes the activation of GI neurons and NPY/AgRP-dependent feeding. This study identifies ARC NKA as a hypothalamic sensor and converter of metabolic states to key neuronal activity and feeding behaviour, providing a new target to treat hyperphagic obesity and diabetes. arcuate nucleus; Na ϩ ,K ϩ -ATPase; ␣3-isoform; neuropeptide Y; agouti-related protein; feeding behavior; SSA412; ouabain; fasting; ghrelin; glucose; ATP; glucose-inhibited neuron THE FIRST-ORDER NEURONS in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus perceive the nutrients and hormones that reflect the systemic energy state and thereby control feeding behavior (2, 10, 32, 34). These neurons are likely equipped with a device that senses these metabolic signals and couples them to neuronal activation. Candidate molecules have been proposed, which include Na ϩ ,K ϩ -ATPase (NKA) (30), ATP-sensitive K ϩ channel (37), long-chain fatty acyl-CoA (LC-CoA) (21, 23), and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (21, 27). Oomura et al. first proposed NKA as the molecule that converts lowering of the extracellular glucose level to the neuronal excitability in the glucose-sensitive or glucose-inhibited (GI) neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) (29,30). GI neurons were later also found in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and ARC (9,28,31). NKA i...

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