The Melanin-Concentrating Hormone (MCH) System: A Tale of Two Peptides

Author(s)

Diniz, Giovanne B. ^{[1, 2]} ; Bittencourt, Jackson C. ^{[1, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Anat, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Yale Sch Med, Dept Neurosurg, New Haven, CT - USA

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Psicol, Nucleo Neurociencias & Comportamento, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE; v. 13, NOV 26 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) system is a robust integrator of exogenous and endogenous information, modulating arousal and energy balance in mammals. Its predominant function in teleosts, however, is to concentrate melanin in the scales, contributing to the adaptive color change observed in several teleost species. These contrasting functions resulted from a gene duplication that occurred after the teleost divergence, which resulted in the generation of two MCH-coding genes in this clade, which acquired distinctive sequences, distribution, and functions, examined in detail here. We also describe the distribution of MCH immunoreactivity and gene expression in a large number of species, in an attempt to identify its core elements. While initially originated as a periventricular peptide, with an intimate relationship with the third ventricle, multiple events of lateral migration occurred during evolution, making the ventrolateral and dorsolateral hypothalamus the predominant sites of MCH in teleosts and mammals, respectively. Substantial differences between species can be identified, likely reflecting differences in habitat and behavior. This observation aligns well with the idea that MCH is a major integrator of internal and external information, ensuring an appropriate response to ensure the organism's homeostasis. New studies on the MCH system in species that have not yet been investigated will help us understand more precisely how these habitat changes are connected to the hypothalamic neurochemical circuits, paving the way to new intervention strategies that may be used with pharmacological purposes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/02748-0 - Study of the anatomical basis for a volume transmission mechanism on the Melanin Concentrating Hormone [MCH] peptidergic system
• Grantee: Giovanne Baroni Diniz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 16/02224-1 - The existence of neurogenesis during the lactation period
• Grantee: Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/52068-0 - The putative envolvement of melanin-concentrating hormone in the control of lactation
• Grantee: Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants