[PDF][PDF] Anatomy of an endogenous antagonist: relationship between Agouti-related protein and proopiomelanocortin in brain

D Bagnol, XY Lu, CB Kaelin, HEW Day… - The Journal of …, 1999 - Soc Neuroscience
D Bagnol, XY Lu, CB Kaelin, HEW Day, M Ollmann, I Gantz, H Akil, GS Barsh, SJ Watson
The Journal of neuroscience, 1999Soc Neuroscience
Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is a recently discovered orexigenic neuropeptide that inhibits
the binding and action of-melanocyte-stimulating hormone derived from
proopiomelanocortin (POMC) at the melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R) and melanocortin 4
receptor (MC4R) and has been proposed to function primarily as an endogenous
melanocortin antagonist. To better understand the interplay between the AGRP and
melanocortin signaling systems, we compared their nerve fiber distributions with each other …
Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is a recently discovered orexigenic neuropeptide that inhibits the binding and action of-melanocyte-stimulating hormone derived from proopiomelanocortin (POMC) at the melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R) and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) and has been proposed to function primarily as an endogenous melanocortin antagonist. To better understand the interplay between the AGRP and melanocortin signaling systems, we compared their nerve fiber distributions with each other by immunohistochemistry and their perikarya distribution with MC3R and MC4R by double in situ hybridization. Although deriving from distinct cell groups, AGRP and melanocortin terminals project to identical brain areas. Both AGRP and melanocortin neurons selectively express the MC3R, which provides a neuroanatomical basis for a dual-input circuit with biological amplification and feedback inhibition. These studies highlight a broader complexity in POMC-mediated behavior in the brain.
Soc Neuroscience