Characterization of spexin (SPX) in chickens: molecular cloning, functional analysis, tissue expression and its involvement in appetite regulation

Bibliographic Details
Title: Characterization of spexin (SPX) in chickens: molecular cloning, functional analysis, tissue expression and its involvement in appetite regulation
Authors: Fengyan Meng, Yu Yu, Jinxuan Li, Xingfa Han, Xiaogang Du, Xiaohan Cao, Qiuxia Liang, Anqi Huang, Fanli Kong, Linyan Huang, Xianyin Zeng, Guixian Bu
Source: Poultry Science, Vol 102, Iss 1, Pp 102279- (2023)
Publisher Information: Elsevier, 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Animal culture
Subject Terms: chicken, SPX, galanin receptors, hypothalamus, appetite regulation, Animal culture, SF1-1100
More Details: Spexin (SPX) is a conservative tetradecapeptide which has been proven to participate in multiple physiological processes, including anxiety, feed intake, and energy metabolism in fish and mammals. However, whether SPX exists and functions in birds remain largely unknown. Using chicken (c-) as a model, the full-length cDNA encoding cSPX precursor was cloned, and it was predicted to generate a mature peptide with 14 amino acids conserved across vertebrates. The pGL4-SRE-luciferase reporter system-based functional analysis demonstrated that cSPX was effective in activating chicken galanin type Ⅱ receptor (cGALR2), cGALR2-like receptor (cGALR2L) and galanin type Ⅲ receptor (cGALR3), thus to stimulate intracellular MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that SPX was widely expressed in chicken tissues, especially abundant in the central nervous system, pituitary, testes, and pancreas. Interestingly, it was noted that chicken hypothalamic SPX mRNA could be up-regulated by 24-h and 36-h fasting, heralding its latent capacity in appetite regulation. In accordance with this speculation, peripheral injection of cSPX was proved to be functional in reducing feed intake of 3-wk-old chicks. Furthermore, we found that cSPX could reduce the expression of AgRP and MCH, with a concurrent rise in CART1 mRNA level in the hypothalamic of chicks. Collectively, our findings not only provide the evidences that SPX can act as a satiety factor by orchestrating the expression of key feeding regulators in the chicken hypothalamus but also help to facilitate a better understanding of its functional evolution across vertebrates.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 0032-5791
Relation: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579122005740; https://doaj.org/toc/0032-5791
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102279
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/48294084d33d405a939fbdda4ef2f06a
Accession Number: edsdoj.48294084d33d405a939fbdda4ef2f06a
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:00325791
DOI:10.1016/j.psj.2022.102279
Published in:Poultry Science
Language:English