The Role of Neuropeptide Y Y1R in Skeletal Muscle Lipid Metabolism

The Hulver laboratory has recently found that the neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor (NPY Y1R) mRNA expression is elevated in skeletal muscle of obese humans (Hulver, unpublished). The goal of this research is to study the role of the NPY Y1R in skeletal muscle lipid metabolism.

Rat L6, mouse C2C12, and human primary myotubes were incubated in 14C palmitate labeled fatty acid oxidation medium containing 80ng/mL, 250ng/mL, and 500ng/mL of NPY and for a three hour period. Experiments were repeated with the addition of 17mg/mL diprotin A to each NPY treatment. Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and the percentage of lipids stored within the myotubes as diacylglyceride (DAG) and triaclyglyceride (TAG) were measured. Analyses were repeated in rat L6 and mouse C2C12 following a three hour incubation in 14C palmitate labeled fatty acid oxidation medium containing 1µg/mL, 10µg/mL, and 50µg/mL of the NPY Y1R ligand, [Leu31, Pro34] neuropeptide Y (Bachem, Torrance, CA).

Incubation of human primary myotubes in NPY treatments with the addition of diprotin A significantly increased TAG accumulation (p< 0.05). Mouse C2C12 mytoube incubation in 500ng/mL NPY with diprotin A increased FAO (p 0.05). All other NPY and NPY Y1R ligand treatments in had no significant effect on FAO or the accumulation of TAG and DAG.