Increased short-term food satiation and sensitivity to cholecystokinin in neurotrophin-4 knock-in mice

Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) knockout mice exhibited decreased innervation of the small intestine by vagal intraganglionic laminar endings (IGLEs) and reduced food satiation. Recent findings suggested this innervation was increased in NT-4 knock-in (NT-4KI) mice. Therefore, to further investigate the relationship between intestinal IGLEs and satiation, meal patterns were characterized using solid and liquid diets, and cholecystokinin (CCK) effects on 30-min solid diet intake were examined in NT-4KI and wild-type mice. NT-4KI mice consuming the solid diet exhibited reduced meal size, suggesting increased satiation. However, compensation occurred through increased meal frequency, maintaining daily food intake and body weight gain similar to controls. Mutants fed the liquid diet displayed a decrease in intake rate, again implying increased satiation, but meal duration increased, which led to an increase in meal size. This was compensated for by decreased meal frequency, resulting in similar daily food intake and weight gain as controls. Importantly, these alterations in NT-4KI mice were opposite, or different, from those of NT-4 knockout mice, further supporting the hypothesis that they are specific to vagal afferent signaling. CCK suppressed short-term intake in mutants and controls, but the mutants exhibited larger suppressions at lower doses, implying they were more sensitive to CCK. Moreover, devazepide prevented this suppression, indicating this increased sensitivity was mediated by CCK-1 receptors. These results suggest that the NT-4 gene knock-in, probably involving increased intestinal IGLE innervation, altered short-term feeding, in particular by enhancing satiation and sensitivity to CCK, whereas long-term control of daily intake and body weight was unaffected.