Role of the Mecp2 gene in eating behavior and food preferences that cause of obesity

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K14012
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Fukuhara Shota 京都府立医科大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 特任助教 (80817685)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 小児肥満 / 視床下部 / 報酬系 / Mecp2 / レット症候群 / 脂肪嗜好性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Rett syndrome is caused by an abnormality in the Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 gene (Mecp2), which plays a central role in transcriptional regulation. It has been reported that a mild form of Rett syndrome is more likely to be complicated by obesity. To elucidate the mechanism of obesity formation, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic regulation of feeding and reward system regulation of eating behavior using Mecp2+/- mice. We found that Mecp2+/- mice have a high preference for a high-fat diet, which leads to severe obesity and glucose intolerance due to overeating, and High-fat diet may induce impairment of the hypothalamic feeding suppression system and impaired regulation of eating behavior in the dopamine reward system in Mecp2+/- mice.

Free Research Field

小児代謝内分泌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自閉症性発達障害児は過食や特有の食事嗜好性を認めることが多く、治療抵抗性の肥満を認めることがある。本研究が中枢性の治療抵抗性肥満のモデルとして肥満研究における有効性が認められれば、ターゲットとなる分子標的に対する治療薬の開発に貢献することが期待される。