Resistance to diet-induced obesity is associated with increased proopiomelanocortin mRNA and decreased neuropeptide Y mRNA in the hypothalamus

Mechanisms mediating genetic susceptibility to diet-induced obesity have not been completely elucidated. Elevated hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and decreased hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) are thought to promote the development and maintenance of obesity. To assess the potential role of hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression in diet-induced obesity, the present study examined effects of a high-fat diet on hypothalamic NPY and POMC mRNA in three strains of mice that differ in susceptibility to develop diet-induced obesity. C57BL/6J, CBA, and A/J mice were fed either normal rodent chow or a high-fat diet for 14 weeks after which hypothalamic gene expression was measured. On the high-fat diet, C57BL/6J mice gained the most weight, whereas A/J mice gained the least weight. On the high-fat diet, NPY mRNA significantly decreased as body weight increased in CBA and A/J mice, but not in C57BL/6J mice. In addition, POMC mRNA significantly increased as body weight increased in A/J mice, but not in CBA and C57BL/6J mice. Since decreased NPY mRNA and increased POMC mRNA would presumably attenuate weight gain, these results suggest that a high-fat diet produces compensatory changes in hypothalamic gene expression in mice resistant to diet-induced obesity but not in mice susceptible to diet-induced obesity.