title: Uncoupling protein 1 contributes to fat-reducing effect of leptin.
abstract: Leptin is proposed to reduce body fat by increasing energy expenditure, in addition to decreasing food intake, through the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. To confirm this, we investigated the effects of leptin on whole body energy expenditure, BAT functions and adiposity in wild-type (WT) mice, and compared with those in mice deficient in uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a key molecule for BAT thermogenesis. Chronic hyperleptinemia induced by adenovirus gene transfer reduced food intake in both WT and UCP1-KO mice. WT mice with hyperleptinemia, compared to pair-fed controls, showed increased oxygen consumption, elevated UCP1 expression in BAT, ectopic UCP1 induction in white adipose tissue (WAT), and reduced body fat content. These effects of chronic hyperleptinemia were not observed in UCP1-KO mice. It was concluded that the fat-reducing effect of leptin is due to not only decreased food intake, but also increased UCP1-dependent energy expenditure.:
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamatsu-Ogura
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uozumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Chitoku
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition, Tenshi College, Sapporo 065-0013, Japan. Electronic address:saito@tenshi.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito