Elongator regulates the melanocortin satiety pathway

Abstract

This study investigates the function of Elp1 and Elongator in the pituitary gland. Two conditional knockout models were generated where Elp1 was selectively deleted in either somatotropes of the anterior pituitary or Pomc-expressing cells of the anterior and intermediate pituitary. Although loss of Elp1 in somatotropes did not significantly impact murine growth or development, its loss in Pomc-expressing cells resulted in dramatically reduced levels of α-MSH, hyperphagia and obesity. This report provides the first evidence that Elongator plays an essential role in regulating the melanocortin satiety pathway.