Altered anxiety and weight gain in corticotropin-releasing hormone-binding protein-deficient mice |
| |
Authors: | I. Jill Karolyi Heather L. Burrows Tennore M. Ramesh Masaharu Nakajima J. Shonee Lesh Eunju Seong Sally A. Camper Audrey F. Seasholtz |
| |
Affiliation: | Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0618, USA. |
| |
Abstract: | Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is widely recognized as the primary mediator of the neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress, including stress-induced anxiety. The biological activity of CRH and other mammalian CRH-like peptides, such as urocortin, may be modulated by CRH-binding protein (CRH-BP). To assess directly the CRH-BP function, we created a mouse model of CRH-BP deficiency by gene targeting. Basal adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels are unchanged in the CRH-BP-deficient mice, and the animals demonstrate a normal increase in adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone after restraint stress. In contrast, adult male CRH-BP-deficient mice show significantly reduced body weight when compared with wild-type controls. CRH-BP-deficient mice also exhibit a significant increase in anxiogenic-like behavior as assessed by the elevated plus maze and defensive withdrawal tests. The increased anorectic and anxiogenic-like behavior most likely is caused by increased "free" CRH and/or urocortin levels in the brain of CRH-BP-deficient animals, suggesting an important role for CRH-BP in maintaining appropriate levels of these peptides in the central nervous system. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|