Increase of NADPH-diaphorase Expression in Hypothalamus of Stat4 Knockout Mice.
10.4196/kjpp.2009.13.5.337
- Author:
Mee Sook HONG
1
;
Jeong Yoon SONG
;
Dong Hwan YUN
;
Jeong Je CHO
;
Joo Ho CHUNG
Author Information
1. Kohwang Medical Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. jhchung@khu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Body weight;
Food intake;
Hypothalamus;
Knockout mice;
Nitric oxide synthase;
Stat4
- MeSH:
Animals;
Blotting, Western;
Body Weight;
Central Nervous System;
Eating;
Humans;
Hypothalamic Area, Lateral;
Hypothalamus;
Interleukin-12;
Mice;
Mice, Knockout;
NAD;
Neurons;
Nitric Oxide;
Nitric Oxide Synthase;
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus;
Signal Transduction;
STAT4 Transcription Factor
- From:The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
2009;13(5):337-341
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), a STAT family member, mediates interleukin 12 (IL12) signal transduction. IL12 is known to be related to calorie-restricted status. In the central nervous system, IL12 also enhances the production of nitric oxide (NO), which regulates food intake. In this study, the expression of neuronal NO synthase (Nos1), which is also related to food intake, was investigated in the hypothalamic areas of Stat4 knockout (KO) mice using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry, a marker for neurons expressing Nos1 enzyme. Western blots were also performed to evaluate Nos1 and Fos expression. Wild-type Balb/c (WT group, n=10 male) and Stat4 KO mice (Stat4 KO group, n=8 male) were used. The body weight and daily food intake in the WT group were 22.4+/-0.3 and 4.4 g per day, while those in the Stat4 KO group were 18.7+/-0.4 and 1.8 g per day, respectively. Stat4 mice had lower body weight and food intake than Balb/c mice. Optical intensities of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the Stat4 KO group were significantly higher than those of the WT group. Western blotting analysis revealed that the hypothalamic Nos1 and Fos expression of the Stat4 KO group was up-regulated, compared to that in the WT group. These results suggest that Stat4 may be related to the regulation of food intake and expression of Nos1 in the hypothalamus.
