| First Author | Mesaros A | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Cell Metab | Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 236-48 |
| PubMed ID | 18316029 | Mgi Jnum | J:133218 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3778111 | Doi | 10.1016/j.cmet.2008.01.007 |
| Citation | Mesaros A, et al. (2008) Activation of Stat3 signaling in AgRP neurons promotes locomotor activity. Cell Metab 7(3):236-48 |
| abstractText | Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, acts on hypothalamic neurons located in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus to regulate energy homeostasis. One of the leptin-regulated neuronal subtypes in the ARC are agouti-related peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons, which are involved in the regulation of food intake and are directly inhibited by leptin. Leptin activates the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3), but the role of Stat3 in the regulation of AgRP neurons is unclear. Here we show that mice expressing a constitutively active version of Stat3 selectively in AgRP neurons are lean and exhibit relative resistance to diet-induced obesity. Surprisingly, this phenotype arises from increased locomotor activity in the presence of unaltered AgRP expression. These data demonstrate that Stat3-dependent signaling in AgRP neurons in the ARC controls locomotor activity independently of AgRP regulation. |
