Abstract
The melanocortin system is a critical component of the forebrain and hindbrain regulatory systems involved in energy balance. This system is composed of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons that act, in part, through the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). Although the importance of the melanocortin system in controlling feeding has been established for two decades, the understanding of the developmental substrates underlying POMC and MC4R neuron development and function has just begun to emerge. The formation of the melanocortin system involves several discrete developmental steps that include the birth and fate specification of POMC- and MC4R-containing neurons and the extension and guidance of POMC axons to their MC4R-expressing target nuclei. Each of these developmental processes appears to require specific sets of genes and developmental cues that include perinatal hormones. Recent evidence has also highlighted the importance of perinatal nutrition in controlling the ultimate architecture of the melanocortin system.
Highlights
Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons control a variety of physiological functions, the most characterized of which is the regulation of energy balance
Not until P18 does the pattern of arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) axonal projections achieve a distribution that resembles that seen in the adult (Bouret et al, 2004a). These findings suggest that the development of ARH POMC axonal projections toward each of their target nuclei does not occur until the second week of postnatal life, i.e., at a time that is far removed from the birth of these neurons (E11–E12)
No changes in POMC cell numbers were reported in mice that lacked autophagy in POMC neurons (Coupe et al, 2012; Kaushik et al, 2012; Quan et al, 2012), which suggests that autophagy does not influence neurogenesis or programed cell death and that instead it has a specific role in axon growth
Summary
Reviewed by: Robert Dores, University of Minnesota, USA James A. The melanocortin system is a critical component of the forebrain and hindbrain regulatory systems involved in energy balance This system is composed of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons that act, in part, through the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). The formation of the melanocortin system involves several discrete developmental steps that include the birth and fate specification of POMC- and MC4R-containing neurons and the extension and guidance of POMC axons to their MC4R-expressing target nuclei. Each of these developmental processes appears to require specific sets of genes and developmental cues that include perinatal hormones.
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