The anorexigenic effect of neuropeptide AF in Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, is associated with activation of the melanocortin system.
Neuropeptide AF (NPAF) decreases food and water intake in birds and food intake in mammals. In this study, the objective was to determine the effects of centrally administered NPAF on food and water intake, hypothalamic c-Fos immunoreactivity and hypothalamic mRNA abundance of appetite-regulating factors in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Seven days post hatch, 6 h fasted quail were intracerebroventricularly (ICV) injected with 0 (vehicle), 4, 8, or 16 nmol of NPAF and food and water intake were measured at 30 min intervals for 180 min. In Experiment 1, chicks which received 4, 8, and 16 nmol ICV NPAF had reduced food intake for 120, 60 and 180 min following injection, respectively, and reduced water intake during the entire 180 min observation. In Experiment 2, there was increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus in NPAF-injected quail. In Experiment 3, ICV NPAF was associated with decreased corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA, and an increase in hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin and melanocortin receptor 4 mRNA. These results demonstrate that central NPAF suppresses food and water intake in quail, effects that are likely mediated via the melanocortin system in the hypothalamus.
['Bohler|Mark|M|', 'Pauliukonis|Alex|A|', 'Gilbert|Elizabeth R|ER|', 'Cline|Mark A|MA|']
D000818:Animals D000855:Anorexia D001066:Appetite D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone D003370:Coturnix D004195:Disease Models, Animal D004326:Drinking D005247:Feeding Behavior D007031:Hypothalamus D057967:Infusions, Intraventricular D053486:Melanocortins D009842:Oligopeptides D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos D012333:RNA, Messenger D015398:Signal Transduction
Neuropeptide AF Quail Melanocortin Hypothalamus Corticotropin-releasing factor Proopiomelanocortin Appetite Satiety