Gα deficiency in the dorsomedial hypothalamus leads to obesity, hyperphagia, and reduced thermogenesis associated with impaired leptin signaling.

OBJECTIVE

Gα couples multiple receptors, including the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), to intracellular cAMP generation. Germline inactivating Gα mutations lead to obesity in humans and mice. Mice with brain-specific Gα deficiency also develop obesity with reduced energy expenditure and locomotor activity, and impaired adaptive thermogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

METHODS

We created mice (DMHGsKO) with Gα deficiency limited to the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and examined the effects on energy balance and thermogenesis.

RESULTS

DMHGsKO mice developed severe, early-onset obesity associated with hyperphagia and reduced energy expenditure and locomotor activity, along with impaired brown adipose tissue thermogenesis. Studies in mice with loss of MC4R in the DMH suggest that defective DMH MC4R/Gα signaling contributes to abnormal energy balance but not to abnormal locomotor activity or cold-induced thermogenesis. Instead, DMHGsKO mice had impaired leptin signaling along with increased expression of the leptin signaling inhibitor protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B in the DMH, which likely contributes to the observed hyperphagia and reductions in energy expenditure, locomotor activity, and cold-induced thermogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

DMH Gα signaling is critical for energy balance, thermogenesis, and leptin signaling. This study provides insight into how distinct signaling pathways can interact to regulate energy homeostasis and temperature regulation.