Forkhead protein FoxO1 mediates Agrp-dependent effects of leptin on food intake

Tadahiro Kitamura, Yun Feng, Yukari Ido Kitamura, Streamson C. Chua, Allison W. Xu, Gregory S. Barsh, Luciano Rossetti, Domenico Accili

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

370 Scopus citations

Abstract

Leptin controls food intake by regulating the transcription of key neuropeptides in the hypothalamus. The mechanism by which leptin regulates gene expression is unclear, however. Here we show that delivery of adenovirus encoding a constitutively nuclear mutant FoxO1, a transcription factor known to control liver metabolism and pancreatic beta-cell function, to the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of rodents results in a loss of the ability of leptin to curtail food intake and suppress expression of Agrp. Conversely, a transactivation- deficient FoxO1 mutant prevents induction of Agrp by fasting. We also find that FoxO1 and the transcription factor Stat3 exert opposing actions on the expression of Agrp and Pomc through transcriptional squelching. FoxO1 promotes opposite patterns of coactivator-corepressor exchange at the Pomc and Agrp promoters, resulting in activation of Agrp and inhibition of Pomc. Thus, FoxO1 represents a shared component of pathways integrating food intake and peripheral metabolism.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)534-540
Number of pages7
JournalNature Medicine
Volume12
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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