Nature Cell Biology 1999-09-01

The receptor for the orexigenic peptide melanin-concentrating hormone is a G-protein-coupled receptor.

P M Lembo, E Grazzini, J Cao, D A Hubatsch, M Pelletier, C Hoffert, S St-Onge, C Pou, J Labrecque, T Groblewski, D O'Donnell, K Payza, S Ahmad, P Walker

Index: Nat. Cell Biol. 12 , 267-271, (1999)

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Abstract

Gene-knockout studies of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and its effect on feeding and energy balance have firmly established MCH as an orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) peptide hormone. Here we identify MCH as the ligand for the orphan receptor SLC-1. The rat SLC-1 is activated by nanomolar concentrations of MCH and is coupled to the G protein G alpha i/o. The pattern of SLC-1 messenger RNA expression coincides with the distribution of MCH-containing nerve terminals and is consistent with the known central effects of MCH. Our identification of an MCH receptor could have implications for the development of new anti-obesity therapies.