Journal
JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 207, Issue 1, Pages 113-122Publisher
BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD
DOI: 10.1677/JOE-10-0177
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Israeli Ministry of Agriculture [0423]
- French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Unsuccessful attempts to identify the leptin gene in birds are well documented, despite the characterization of its receptor (LEPR). Since leptin and LEPR have poor sequence conservation among vertebrates, we speculated that a functional assay should represent the best way to detect leptin in birds. Using a leptin bioassay that is based on activation of the chicken LEPR in cultured cells, blood samples from wild birds with extreme seasonal variation in voluntary food intake and fat deposition (Adelie penguins and bar-tailed godwits) were tested for leptin activity. In these experiments, blood samples collected during the pre-incubation and the chick-rearing periods of Adelie penguins, and during the migratory flight and refueling stages of bar-tailed godwits, were found to contain no detectable leptin activity, while the sensitivity of the assay to activation by human blood samples from donor subjects representing a variety of body mass indices and fat contents was clearly demonstrated. These results suggest that in birds, an alternative control mechanism to that of mammals operates in the communication between the body fat tissues and the central control on energy homeostasis. Journal of Endocrinology (2010) 207, 113-122
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available