Research paper
Batterham RL, Cowley MA, Small CJ, Herzog H, Cohen MA, Dakin CL, Wren AM, Brynes AE, Low MJ, Ghatei MA, Cone RD, Bloom SR. Gut hormone PYY3-36 physiologically inhibits food intake. Nature. 2002 Aug 8;418(6898):650-4. doi:10.1038/nature00887
Why we cite it
Landmark *Nature* paper establishing PYY(3-36) as a physiological satiety signal through a series of animal and human experiments. In rats, peripheral PYY(3-36) injection inhibited food intake and reduced weight gain. In mice, PYY(3-36) inhibited feeding in wild-type but not Y2 receptor-null animals, identifying the Y2R in the arcuate nucleus as the required receptor. In humans, infusion of PYY(3-36) at normal postprandial concentrations reduced food intake by 33% over 24 hours. The mechanism involves suppression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) activity and activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, establishing a gut-hypothalamic signaling pathway. This work provided one of the key mechanistic explanations for protein satiety: protein meals trigger PYY release → PYY acts on Y2R in the arcuate nucleus → appetite suppression. Batterham's follow-up work confirmed the protein-PYY link directly. Referenced by 1 companion and 1 companion-review (4 total references).