Central RANK signalling in NPY neurons alters bone mass in male mice

RANKL signalling known to be important for the control of bone mass, has recently also been implicated in the brain to control thermoregulation, however, it is not known which neuronal pathways are involved and whether other aspects of energy homeostasis are also affected. Here we show that selective deletion of RANK from NPY neurons down-regulated NPY mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. While comprehensive phenotyping of germline-induced NPY neuron specific RANK deficient mice revealed no significant changes in physical or metabolic parameters, adult onset deletion of RANK from NPY neurons led to a significant increase in fat mass and a decrease in whole body bone mineral content and bone mineral density.

Source: Neuropeptides - February 15, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: N.J. Lee, I.M. Clarke, R.F. Enriquez, V. Nagy, J. Penninger, P.A. Baldock, H. Herzog Source Type: research