A large number of physiological effects are attributed to leptin. Particularly, there is a general notion that leptin reduces body weight through both a reduction of food intake and an increase in thermogenesis/ energy expenditure (EE).
Whereas a multitude of investigations have, over the years, detailed the pathways involved in the hypophagic effect of leptin, only a few studies have addressed the suggested thermogenic pathway. That leptin should be thermogenic is based, e.g., on observations that the absence of leptin (as in the ob/ob mice) has been associated with hypometabolism and hypothermia and with brown adipose tissue (BAT) inactivation.
Accordingly, one effect of leptin would be to induce thermogenesis by the activation of BAT and, through this, to counteract hypothermia and promote body weight loss
In contrast to these established views, researchers found that BAT is fully functional and that leptin treatment did not increase thermogenesis in wild-type or in ob/ob mice. Rather, ob/ob mice showed a decreased but defended body temperature (i.e., were anapyrexic, not hypothermic) that was normalized to wild-type levels after leptin treatment.
This was not accompanied by increased energy expenditure or BAT recruitment but, instead, was mediated by decreased tail heat loss.
The weight-reducing hypophagic effects of leptin are, therefore, not augmented through a thermogenic effect of leptin; leptin is, however, pyrexic, i.e., it alters centrally regulated thresholds of thermoregulatory mechanisms, in parallel to effects of other cytokines.
http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(16)30019-5
Latest News
Circadian rhythms can influ…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
With hybrid brains, these m…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Blocking activation of NF-κ…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Vitamin D regulates microbi…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Role of alternative splicin…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Other Top Stories
Ribosomes can translate the 'untranslated region' of messenger RNA
Read more
An alternative pathway for starvation-induced autophagy
Read more
Regulation of auto and ligand induced activation of receptors
Read more
Anti-aging tricks from dietary supplement seen in mice
Read more
New insight into the DNA repair mechanism
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Single dose creatine improv…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Autonomous circadian rhythm…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Functional sensory circuits…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Positive selection CRISPR s…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Focal clusters of peri-syna…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar