Marta Pace, Matteo Falappa, Andrea Freschi, Edoardo Balzani, Chiara Berteotti, Viviana Lo Martire, Fatemeh Kaveh, Eivind Hovig, Giovanna Zoccoli, Roberto Amici, Matteo Cerri, Alfonso Urbanucci, Valter Tucci
Imprinted genes are highly expressed in the hypothalamus; however, whether specific imprinted genes affect hypothalamic neuromodulators and their functions is unknown. It has been suggested that Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by lack of paternal expression at chromosome 15q11-q13, is characterized by hypothalamic insufficiency. Here, we investigate the role of the paternally expressed Snord116 gene within the context of sleep and metabolic abnormalities of PWS, and we report a significant role of this imprinted gene in the function and organization of the two main neuromodulatory systems of the lateral hypothalamus (LH), namely, the orexin (OX) and melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) systems...
April 30, 2020: JCI Insight