What is it about?
This study looked at a protein called the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), which is known to play an important role in controlling appetite and body weight. Using genetically-engineered reporter mice and microscopy, we described where this receptor is found in the vagus nerve, the major nerve that carries messages between the gut and the brain. The findings suggest that MC4R is located in nerves that process feelings of fullness after a meal and may also help regulate digestion and communication between the brain and digestive organs.
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Why is it important?
Understanding how the brain and gut communicate is essential for learning how the body controls hunger, fullness, digestion, and body weight. Because changes in MC4R are one of the most common genetic causes of severe obesity, these findings provide new insight into how this receptor works beyond the brain itself.
Perspectives
This is one of the first study to have used genetically-engineered reporter mice to visualize vagal neurons axons and terminal endings in the gut. It is also one of the first studies to suggest that MC4R signaling may partly act on the peripheral nervous system to regulate feeding and metabolism.
Laurent Gautron
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Melanocortin‐4 receptor expression in a vago‐vagal circuitry involved in postprandial functions, The Journal of Comparative Neurology, October 2009, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/cne.22221.
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