Brain-specific chemokine FAM19A5 induces hypothalamic inflammation.

Brain-specific chemokine FAM19A5 induces hypothalamic inflammation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Jan 15;: Authors: Kang D, Kim HR, Kim KK, Kim DH, Jeong B, Jin S, Park JW, Seong JY, Lee BJ Abstract The cytokine-like protein FAM19A5 is highly expressed in the brain, but little is known about its functions there. Here, we found that FAM19A5 was expressed in mouse hypothalamic cells expressing proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY)/agouti-related peptide (AgRP), and in the microglia. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which induces inflammatory sickness responses, greatly increased hypothalamic expression of FAM19A5. Knockdown of FAM19A5 expression resulted in decreased TNF-α-induced anorexia, body weight loss and TNF-α-induced expression of inflammatory factors. In contrast, intracerebroventricular administration of FAM19A5 induced anorexia, body weight loss and hyperthermia, together with increased expression of inflammatory factors. FAM19A5 injection also induced increases in c-fos activation and POMC mRNA level in hypothalamic POMC neurons. Together, these results suggest that FAM19A5 plays an important role in hypothalamic inflammatory responses. PMID: 31954515 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Biochem Biophys Res Commun Source Type: research