Swart, I., J. W. Jahng, J. M. Overton, and T. A. Houpt. Hypothalamic NPY, AGRP, and POMC mRNA responses to leptin and refeeding in mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 283: R1020-R1026, 2002 10.1152/ajpregu.00501.2001 increases hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AGRP) mRNA levels and decreases proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels; refeeding restores these levels. We determined the time course of changes in hypothalamic NPY, AGRP, and POMC mRNA levels on refeeding after 24 h FD in C57BL mice by in situ hybridization. After 24 h deprivation, mice were refed with either chow or a palatable mash containing no calories or were injected with murine leptin (100 g) without food. Mice were perfused 2 or 6 h after treatment. Food deprivation increased hypothalamic NPY mRNA (108 Ϯ 6%) and AGRP mRNA (78 Ϯ 7%) and decreased hypothalamic POMC mRNA (Ϫ15 Ϯ 1%). Refeeding for 6 h, but not 2 h, was sufficient to reduce (but not restore) NPY mRNA, did not affect AGRP mRNA, and restored POMC mRNA levels to ad libitum control levels. Intake of the noncaloric mash had no effect on mRNA levels, and leptin administration after deprivation (at a dose sufficient to reduce refeeding in FD mice) was not sufficient to affect mRNA levels. These results suggest that gradual postabsorptive events subsequent to refeeding are required for the restoration of peptide mRNA to baseline levels after food deprivation in mice. palatable; preabsorptive; postabsorptive; time course; arcuate nucleus; in situ hybridization; neuropeptide Y; agoutirelated protein; proopiomelanocortin CALORIC DEPRIVATION INVOKES a complex array of hormonal, neural, and metabolic responses to reduce energy expenditure to defend body weight. Associated with reduced caloric availability is an increased drive to eat. Both the reduced energy expenditure and increased appetite associated with reduced energy availability may be regulated by a network of hypothalamic neuropeptides (30,52,61). Agouti-related protein (AGRP), a melanocortin receptor antagonist, is coexpressed with neuropeptide Y (NPY) in most hypothalamic NPYergic arcuate nucleus neurons (8), and hypothalamic peptide content and mRNA levels of both NPY (7, 21, 31) and AGRP (33, 42) are increased by food deprivation. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is expressed in a separate population of arcuate nucleus neurons and via ␣-melanocyte stimulating hormone (␣-MSH), a posttranslational product of POMC and a melanocortin receptor agonist, tonically inhibits food intake (5, 34), whereas food deprivation results in decreased POMC mRNA levels in the arcuate nucleus (42). Therefore, during conditions of altered energy balance, NPY and AGRP signaling via NPY-Y1/Y5 and melanocortin MC-4 receptors, respectively, and POMC/ ␣-MSH signaling also via MC-4 receptors are coordinately regulated to defend body weight and stimulate appetite, thus maintaining energy homeostasis.Little is known about the time course of the restoration of food deprivation-induced changes in hypothalamic peptide mRNA levels on ref...