Abstract
AbstractRetinoic acid-induced 1(RAI1) haploinsufficiency causes Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), a genetic disorder with symptoms including hyperphagia, hyperlipidemia, severe obesity, and autism phenotypes. RAI1 is a transcriptional regulator with a pan-neural expression pattern and hundreds of downstream targets. The mechanisms linking neuralRai1to body weight regulation remain unclear. Here we find that hypothalamic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its downstream signalling are disrupted in SMS (Rai1+/-) mice. SelectiveRai1loss from all BDNF-producing cells or from BDNF-producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) induced obesity in mice. Electrophysiological recordings revealed thatRai1ablation decreased the intrinsic excitability of PVHBDNFneurons. Chronic treatment of SMS mice with LM22A-4 engages neurotrophin downstream signalling and delayed obesity onset. This treatment also partially rescued disrupted lipid profiles, insulin intolerance, and stereotypical repetitive behaviour in SMS mice. These data argue that RAI1 regulates body weight and metabolic function through hypothalamic BDNF-producing neurons and that targeting neurotrophin downstream signalling might improve associated SMS phenotypes.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory