title: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 upregulates leptin expression in mouse adipose tissue.
abstract: Leptin is an adipose tissue-derived hormone that plays a critical role in energy homeostasis. Vitamin D has been shown to regulate energy metabolism, but the relationship between vitamin D and leptin is unclear. Leptin expression and secretion was reduced in vitamin D receptor (VDR)-null mice and increased in transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing the VDR in adipocytes; however, as leptin is mainly determined by fat mass, it is unclear whether the vitamin D hormone directly regulates leptin expression. To address this question, we determined the effect of vitamin D on leptin expression in vivo and ex vivo. One-week treatment of WT mice with the vitamin D analog RO-27-5646 led to a significant increase in adipose leptin mRNA transcript and serum leptin levels. Moreover, in adipose tissue cultures, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D markedly stimulated mRNA expression and secretion of leptin, but not resistin, in adipose tissues obtained from WT mice, but not from VDR-null mice, and leptin upregulation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was more robust in adipose tissues obtained from VDR Tg mice compared with WT mice. These data demonstrate that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D stimulates adipose leptin production in a VDR-dependent manner, suggesting that vitamin D may affect energy homeostasis through direct regulation of leptin expression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Metabolic Disease Research and Drug Development, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Yunzi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yan Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; C118756:dihydroxy-vitamin D3; D014807:Vitamin D