科研之友
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摘要
Leptin, the key regulator of mammalian energy balance, has been at the center of a great controversy in avian biology for the last 15 years since initial reports of a putative leptin gene (LEP) in chickens. Here, we characterize a novel LEP in rock dove (Columba livia) with low similarity of the predicted protein sequence (30% identity, 47% similarity) to the human ortholog. Searching the Sequence-Read-Archive database revealed leptin transcripts, in the dove%26apos;s liver, with 2 noncoding exons preceding 2 coding exons. This unusual 4-exon structure was validated by sequencing of a GC-rich product (76% GC, 721 bp) amplified from liver RNA by RT-PCR. Sequence alignment of the dove leptin with orthologous leptins indicated that it consists of a leader peptide (21 amino acids; aa) followed by the mature protein (160 aa), which has a putative structure typical of 4-helical-bundle cytokines except that it is 12 aa longer than human leptin. Extra residues (10 aa) were located within the loop between 25%26apos;-helices, interrupting the amino acid motif that is conserved in tetrapods and considered essential for activation of leptin receptor (LEPR) but not for receptor binding per se. Quantitative RT-PCR of 11 tissues showed highest (P %26lt; .05) expression of LEP in the dove%26apos;s liver, whereas the dove LEPR peaked (P %26lt; .01) in the pituitary. Both genes were prominently expressed in the gonads and at lower levels in tissues involved in mammalian leptin signaling (adipose; hypothalamus). A bioassay based on activation of the chicken LEPR in vitro showed leptin activity in the dove%26apos;s circulation, suggesting that dove LEP encodes an active protein, despite the interrupted loop motif. Providing tools to study energy-balance control at an evolutionary perspective, our original demonstration of leptin signaling in dove predicts a more ancient role of leptin in growth and reproduction in birds, rather than appetite control.
- 出版日期2014-9
