The role of ALF4, a transcription factor, in the regulation of growth hormone secretion in the hypothalamus

AF 5 q31的表达仅在禁食期间生长激素促分泌素受体（GHS-R）表达神经元中观察到。腹腔注射ghrelin可诱导弓状核和下丘脑腹内侧核GHS-R阳性神经元表达AF 5 q31。杂合子小鼠中AF 5 q31表达的降低减弱了禁食诱导的AMPKα的表达，以及下丘脑中神经肽Y（NPY）和刺豚鼠相关肽（AgRP）的表达。此外，杂合子小鼠中禁食诱导的食物摄入量的增加小于野生型小鼠中观察到的。由此可见，ghrelin诱导的下丘脑AF 5 q31在AMPK的表达中起重要作用，AMPK的表达可诱导NPY和AgRP的表达，从而增加摄食量。

AF5q31 expression was exclusively observed in growth hormone secretagogue-receptor (GHS-R)-expressing neurons during fasting. The intraperitoneal injection of ghrelin induced the expression of AF5q31 in the GHS-R-positive neurons of the arcuate nucleus and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. The decrease of AF5q31 expression in heterozygous mice attenuated the fasting-induced expression of AMPKα, as well as the expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, the increase in fasting-induced food intake in heterozygous mice was less than that observed in wild-type mice. From these findings, ghrelin-induced AF5q31 in the hypothalamus appear to play an important role in the expression of AMPK, which may induce the expressions of NPY and AgRP, and thereby increase food intake.