Cyr NE, Toorie AM, Steger JS, Sochat MM, Hyner S, Perello M, Stuart R, Nillni EA. Mechanisms by which the orexigen NPY regulates anorexigenic ␣-MSH and TRH. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 67: E640 -E650, 2013. First published January 15, 2013; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00448.2012.-Protein posttranslational processing is a cellular mechanism fundamental to the generation of bioactive peptides, including the anorectic ␣-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (␣-MSH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) peptides produced in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei, respectively. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) promotes positive energy balance in part by suppressing ␣-MSH and TRH. The mechanism by which NPY regulates ␣-MSH output, however, is not well understood. Our results reveal that NPY inhibited the posttranslational processing of ␣-MSH's inactive precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC) by decreasing the prohormone convertase-2 (PC2). We also found that early growth response protein-1 (Egr-1) and NPY-Y1 receptors mediated the NPY-induced decrease in PC2. NPY given intra-PVN also decreased PC2 in PVN samples, suggesting a reduction in PC2-mediated pro-TRH processing. In addition, NPY attenuated the ␣-MSH-induced increase in TRH production by two mechanisms. First, NPY decreased ␣-MSH-induced CREB phosphorylation, which normally enhances TRH transcription. Second, NPY decreased the amount of ␣-MSH in the PVN. Collectively, these results underscore the significance of the interaction between NPY and ␣-MSH in the central regulation of energy balance and indicate that posttranslational processing is a mechanism that plays a specific role in this interaction.␣-melanocyte-stimulating hormone; early growth response protein-1; neuropeptide Y; proopiomelanocortin; thyrotropin-releasing hormone OBESITY IS A MAJOR HEALTH and socioeconomic concern that has reached epidemic proportions in developed nations. Despite efforts to abate the problem, cases of obesity continue to rise. Thus, it is imperative to better understand the physiological mechanisms controlling food intake and body weight.Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a potent orexigen that has received attention as an antiobesity drug target (69). NPY is produced both centrally and peripherally. Although it is widely distributed throughout the brain, in situ hybridization studies reveal that NPY is most densely localized to the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) (19,41). Hypothalamic NPY plays an important role in energy balance and responds to changes in energy status. For example, NPY increases during food deprivation and returns to baseline levels following refeeding in the hypothalamic ARC and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) (1, 2, 29).Hypothalamic NPY also responds to changes in energy status signals, as it decreases with elevated leptin or insulin levels and increases with elevated ghrelin, growth hormone, or glucocorticoid levels (69). In addition, rodent models of genetic obesity including the fa/fa Zucker rat as well as db/db and ob/ob mice demonstrate increased hypothalamic...