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Expanding the Scales: The Multiple Roles of MCH in Regulating Energy Balance and Other Biological Functions

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Correspondence: Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215. E-mail: emaratos{at}bidmc.harvard.edu

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic peptide originally identified as a 17-amino-acid circulating hormone in teleost fish, where it is secreted by the pituitary in response to stress and environmental stimuli. In fish, MCH lightens skin color by stimulating aggregation of melanosomes, pigment-containing granules in melanophores, cells of neuroectodermal origin found in fish scales. Although the peptide structure between fish and mammals is highly conserved, in mammals, MCH has no demonstrable effects on pigmentation; instead, based on a series of pharmacological and genetic experiments, MCH has emerged as a critical hypothalamic regulator of energy homeostasis, having effects on both feeding behavior and energy expenditure.

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