Sainsbury et al.: Y2Y4 receptor double knockout protects against obesity due to a high--fat diet or Y1 receptor deficiency in mice Diabetes, 55(1): 19--26, 2006 Y2Y4 receptor double knockout protects against obesity due to a high-fat diet or Y1 receptor deficiency in mice Remarkably, the antiobesity effect of Y2Y4 deficiency was stronger than the obesogenic effect of Y1 deficiency, since Y1Y2Y4 triple knockouts did not develop obesity on the high-fat diet. Resistance to diet-induced obesity in Y2Y4 knockouts was associated with reduced food intake and improved glucose tolerance in the absence of changes in total physical activity. Fecal concentration of free fatty acids was significantly increased in Y2Y4 knockouts in association with a significantly reduced bile acid pool and marked alterations in intestinal morphology. In addition, hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin expression was decreased in diet-induced obesity (in both wild-type and Y1 receptor knockout mice) but not in obesity-resistant Y2Y4 receptor knockout mice fed a high-fat diet. Therefore, deletion of Y2 and Y4 receptors synergistically protects against diet-induced obesity, at least partially via changes in food intake and hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin expression.Members of the Y receptor family, notably Y1, Y2, Y4, and Y5 receptors, are implicated in energy homeostasis and the development of obesity and insulin resistance. These receptors are activated by three endogenous ligands: neuropeptide Y, the gut-derived hormones peptide YY, and pancreatic polypeptide. Recently, there has been renewed speculation that ligands for Y receptors, such as peptide YY3-36 and pancreatic polypeptide, may be of benefit for the treatment of obesity (1). There is considerable conflict in the literature about the role of Y receptors in the regulation of body weight. For instance, pharmacological studies suggested that Y1 receptors contribute to hyperphagia induced by increased hypothalamic neuropeptide Y secretion ( 2). Fasting-induced refeeding is reduced in Y1 knockout mice ( 3). Moreover, food intake and body weight of genetically obese ob/ob mice, in which hypothalamic neuropeptide Y-ergic activity is chronically increased, are significantly reduced by Y1 knockout ( 4). In contrast, Y1 knockouts develop significant increases in body weight, fat mass, and insulinemia in the absence of hyperphagia (3,5).Similar controversies prevail regarding the role of Y2 receptors in energy homeostasis. Hypothalamus-specific or germ-line deletion of Y2 receptors resulted in significant reductions in the body weight of lean mice (6) and significant reductions in adiposity or body weight and the type 2 diabetic syndrome of ob/ob mice in the absence of reductions in food intake (7,8). In contrast, another germline Y2 receptor knockout model was shown to develop increased body weight, fat deposition, and hyperphagia (9). Furthermore, intrahypothalamic administration of the Y2 agonist neuropeptide Y[13-36] to rats significantly decreased food intake (10). Moreover, circulating pep...