Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is primarily expressed in the hypothalamus and plays a significant role in feeding behavior and energy balance. Although there are reports in the literature describing the presence of MCH in the gastrointestinal tract as well as on immune cells, peripheral roles for MCH have not yet been established. We discovered that MCH and its receptor MCHR1 were several fold upregulated in the intestinal mucosa of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and most importantly, that expression of MCHR1 was significantly higher in patients with more advanced disease. Laser capture microdissection followed by real time RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that colonocytes from IBD biopsies had increased expression of MCHR1 mRNA, compared to colonocytes obtained from controls. These findings made us hypothesize a proinflammatory role of MCH in the pathophysiology of IBD. This hypothesis is supported by our preliminary data describing that TNBS-induced experimental colitis is significantly attenuated in the MCH deficient mice. In the same model of intestinal inflammation, MCH immunoneutralization resulted in similar protective effects. Moreover, we found that activation of MCH receptors in colonocytes triggers proinflammatory signaling pathways and cytokine production. In the current proposal, we will pursue three specific aims:
In aim 1, we will investigate the effects of MCH genetic deficiency and MCHR1 peripheral antagonism in three different models of acute and chronic experimental colitis.
In aim 2, we will examine the role of MCH in intestinal neuroimmune and epithelial-immune cell interactions.
In aim 3 we will delineate the downstream effectors of MCH signaling in human colonic epithelial cells. Our proposal will be the first to decipher the mechanistic links between MCH and intestinal inflammation and may provide the foundation for the development of novel, MCH-based treatments for IBD and perhaps for additional inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal system and beyond.

Public Health Relevance

Melanin-Concentrating Hormone (MCH) is a neuropeptide that is produced in the brain and physiologically regulates food intake and body weight, thus it serves as an important target to treat obesity. Our preliminary studies have revealed a previously unrecognized role for MCH in intestinal inflammation, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which currently affects one million of Americans. Experiments outlined in this proposal will uncover the mechanisms by which MCH mediates intestinal inflammation and test an MCH antagonist as a novel approach to treat IBD and perhaps additional inflammatory conditions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01DK080058-01A1S1
Application #
7769769
Study Section
Clinical and Integrative Gastrointestinal Pathobiology Study Section (CIGP)
Program Officer
Hamilton, Frank A
Project Start
2008-07-01
Project End
2013-04-30
Budget Start
2008-07-01
Budget End
2009-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$1,700
Indirect Cost
Name
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
071723621
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02215
Koukos, Georgios; Polytarchou, Christos; Kaplan, Jess L et al. (2015) A microRNA signature in pediatric ulcerative colitis: deregulation of the miR-4284/CXCL5 pathway in the intestinal epithelium. Inflamm Bowel Dis 21:996-1005
Ziogas, Dimitrios C; Karagiannis, Apostolos K A; Geiger, Brenda M et al. (2014) Inflammation-induced functional connectivity of melanin-concentrating hormone and IL-10. Peptides 55:58-64
Karagiannis, Apostolos K A; Ziogas, Dimitrios C; Gras-Miralles, Beatriz et al. (2013) Increased susceptibility of melanin-concentrating hormone-deficient mice to infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Infect Immun 81:166-72
Ziogas, Dimitrios C; Gras-Miralles, Beatriz; Mustafa, Sarah et al. (2013) Anti-melanin-concentrating hormone treatment attenuates chronic experimental colitis and fibrosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 304:G876-84
Chandrasekharan, Bindu; Jeppsson, Sabrina; Pienkowski, Stefan et al. (2013) Tumor necrosis factor-neuropeptide Y cross talk regulates inflammation, epithelial barrier functions, and colonic motility. Inflamm Bowel Dis 19:2535-46
Geiger, Brenda M; Gras-Miralles, Beatriz; Ziogas, Dimitrios C et al. (2013) Intestinal upregulation of melanin-concentrating hormone in TNBS-induced enterocolitis in adult zebrafish. PLoS One 8:e83194
Nagel, Jutta M; Geiger, Brenda M; Karagiannis, Apostolos K A et al. (2012) Reduced intestinal tumorigenesis in APCmin mice lacking melanin-concentrating hormone. PLoS One 7:e41914
Townsend, Kristy L; Suzuki, Ryo; Huang, Tian Lian et al. (2012) Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) reverses obesity and regulates appetite through a central mTOR pathway. FASEB J 26:2187-96
Wang, Yan; Ziogas, Dimitrios C; Biddinger, Sudha et al. (2010) You deserve what you eat: lessons learned from the study of the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-deficient mice. Gut 59:1625-34
Flier, Sarah N; Tanjore, Harikrishna; Kokkotou, Efi G et al. (2010) Identification of epithelial to mesenchymal transition as a novel source of fibroblasts in intestinal fibrosis. J Biol Chem 285:20202-12

Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications