The orphan G protein-coupled receptor, GPR139, is expressed in the hypothalamus and is involved in the regulation of body mass, blood glucose, and insulin

Abstract

GPR139 is an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor that is expressed in restricted areas of the nervous system, including the hypothalamus. In this study, we hypothesized that GPR139 could be involved in the regulation of energy balance and metabolism. In the first part of the study, we confirmed that GPR139 is expressed in the hypothalamus and particularly in proopiomelanocortin and agouti-related peptide neurons of the mediobasal hypothalamus. Using a lentivirus with a short-hairpin RNA, we inhibited the expression of GPR139 bilaterally in the mediobasal hypothalamus of mice. The intervention promoted a 40% reduction in the hypothalamic expression of GPR139, which was accompanied by an increase in body mass, a reduction in fasting blood glucose levels, and an increase in insulin levels. In the hypothalamus, inhibition of GPR139 was accompanied by a reduction in the expression of orexin. As previous studies using a pharmacological antagonist of orexin showed a beneficial impact on type 2 diabetes and glucose metabolism, we propose that the inhibition of hypothalamic GPR139 could be acting indirectly through the orexin system to control systemic glucose and insulin. In conclusion, this study advances the characterization of GPR139 in the hypothalamus, demonstrating its involvement in the regulation of body mass, blood insulin, and glycemia.

Keywords: Caloric intake; Energy expenditure; G-protein-coupled receptor; Obesity; Proopiomelanocortin.