Expression Patterns of PACAP and PAC1R Genes and Anorexigenic Action of PACAP1 and PACAP2 in Zebrafish

In conclusion, expression levels and the distribution of zfPACAPs and zfPAC1Rs differ in zebrafish. There was almost no difference in the anorexigenic effects of zfPACAP1 and zfPACAP2 by ICV administration. These results suggest that PACAP act as an anorexigenic feeding regulator in the brain, and the anorexigenic effect of PACAP is preserved in vertebrates. Molecular species of the VIP/secretin/glucagon superfamily are thought to have been formed by repeating exon and gene duplication from PACAP-type ancestral genes during evolution (52). It is possible that duplicated zfPACAPs have begun to evolve into another paralogous gene by altering its distribution and responses. Functional analysis of zfPACAP and zfPAC1R, further physiological experiments, and detailed tissue distribution observation will clarify this hypothesis. Ethics Statement All experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the institutional guidelines of the University of Toyama for the care and use of laboratory animals. However, it was not necessary to receive permission for fish experiment in the University of Toyama. No endangered animal species were involved in the study. Author Contributions TN and AT designed and performed the experiments. NK, SS, and KM were involved in planning and supervising the work. TN wrote the manuscript with support from NK, SS, and KM. Funding This work was supported in part by a Toyama University Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research (TN and KM), a grant from ...
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research