Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Pivot Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Target Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Query: UMLS:C0020505 (
hyperphagia
)
6,116
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Relaxin-3
(
RLN3
) is a neuropeptide that is strongly expressed in the pontine nucleus incertus (NI) and binds with high affinity to its cognate receptor RXFP3. Central administration of
RLN3
in rats increases food intake and adiposity. In humans,
RLN3
polymorphism has been associated with obesity and hypercholesterolaemia. Emerging evidence suggests that the effects of
RLN3
may have sex-specific aspects. Thus, the
RLN3
knockout female but not male mice are hypoactive.
RLN3
produced stronger orexigenic and obesogenic effects in female rats compared with male rats. In addition, female rats demonstrated higher sensitivity to lower doses of
RLN3
. Repeated cycles of food restriction and stress were accompanied by an increase in
RLN3
expression and
hyperphagia
in female but not in male rats. Furthermore, stress-induced binge eating in female rats was blocked by an RXFP3 receptor antagonist.
RLN3
increased the expression of corticotropin releasing factor in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus in male but not in female rats. Conversely, in female rats,
RLN3
increased the expression of orexin in the lateral hypothalamus. There is evidence that orexin directly activates the
RLN3
neurons in the NI. The positive reinforcement of the
RLN3
effects by orexin may intensify behavioural activation and feeding in females. Sex-specific effects of
RLN3
may also depend on differential expression of RXFP3 receptors in the brain. Given the higher sensitivity of females to the orexigenic effects of
RLN3
and the stress-induced activation of
RLN3
, the overall data suggest a possible role for
RLN3
in eating disorders that show a higher propensity in women.
...
PMID:Sex-specific effects of relaxin-3 on food intake and body weight gain. 2724 81
