title: Leptin receptor is expressed by epidermis and skin appendages in dog.
abstract: Leptin is a polypeptide secreted by adipocytes which binds to a specific receptor (Ob-R) that is expressed in various tissues. The wide distribution of the Ob-R suggests that leptin might exert diverse biological functions, not only by regulating energy metabolism and appetite, but also by acting as a mitogen in many cell types, including keratinocytes. In this study, the presence and localization of Ob-R was investigated in the skin of the dog using RT-PCR and immunohistochemical techniques. RT-PCR revealed the presence of Ob-R m-RNA in the skin specimens collected from the dorsal region of two smooth coat breed dogs. Through immunohistochemistry performed on the skin of five dogs, the expression of the receptor was observed in the basal layer of the epidermis, in the hair follicles as well as in the apocrine sweat and sebaceous glands. No staining for Ob-R was detected in the suprabasal epidermis layers. Strong positive signals were observed in many cells of the outer root sheath of hair follicles in growing and in regressive phases. The identification of Ob-R in the above targets suggests that leptin may play a role in the regulation of cyclic renewal of the epidermis and skin appendages in dog. This study represents an important contribution to understand the complex mechanisms that are involved in the skin biology in this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.mercati@unipg.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mercati
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maranesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dall'Aglio
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III da Varano, 62032 Camerino (MC), Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scocco
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pascucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boiti
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D054411:Receptors, Leptin
keywords: Dog; Epidermis; Hair follicle; Immunohistochemistry; Leptin receptor; RT-PCR