title: The leptin receptor activates janus kinase 2 and signals for proliferation in a factor-dependent cell line.
abstract: The antiobesity effects of leptin are mediated by the obese receptor (OB-R), a member of the cytokine receptor superfamily. Several isoforms of OB-R that differ in the length of the cytoplasmic domain have been described. An isoform with a long cytoplasmic domain of 302 amino acids, termed OB-Rb, contains the conserved box 1 and box 2 motifs and is likely to be responsible for leptin-induced signaling. A point mutation in the OB-R gene of diabetes (db) mice generates a new splice donor that interferes with the correct splicing of the OB-Rb mRNA and is predicted to cause absence of the OB-Rb protein in db/db mice. Here we examined the signaling potential of the long isoform, OB-Rb, and of a short isoform, OB-Ra, in BaF3 cells, a factor-dependent hematopoietic cell line. The long isoform was able to generate a proliferative signal and upon leptin binding, activated janus kinase 2 (Jak2). Consistently, antibodies directed against the extracellular domain of OB-R coprecipitated Jak2. The short isoform, OB-Ra, was inactive in both proliferation and Jak activation. These results provide further support for the long isoform, OB-Rb, being the principal mediator of the effects of leptin and help to explain why db/db mice are resistant to leptin, despite the presence of the short OB-R isoforms.
authors.affiliation: Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghilardi
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Skoda
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D053614:Janus Kinase 2; D020738:Leptin; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D020738:Leptin; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; C515447:leptin receptor, mouse; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C507926:Jak2 protein, mouse; D053614:Janus Kinase 2