title: The thymoprotective function of leptin is indirectly mediated via suppression of obesity.
abstract: Leptin is an adipokine that regulates metabolism and plays an important role as a neuroendocrine hormone. Leptin mediates these functions via the leptin receptor, and deficiency in either leptin or its receptor leads to obesity in humans and mice. Leptin has far reaching effects on the immune system, as observed in obese mice, which display decreased thymic function and increased inflammatory responses. With expression of the leptin receptor on T cells and supporting thymic epithelium, aberrant signalling through the leptin receptor has been thought to be the direct cause of thymic involution in obese mice. Here, we demonstrate that the absence of leptin receptor on either thymic epithelial cells or T cells does not lead to the loss of thymic function, demonstrating that the thymoprotective effect of leptin is mediated by obesity suppression rather than direct signalling to the cellular components of the thymus.
authors.affiliation: VIB, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jayasree
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sreenivasan
authors.affiliation: VIB, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schlenner
authors.affiliation: VIB, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Franckaert
authors.affiliation: VIB, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.affiliation: VIB, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liston
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; C515447:leptin receptor, mouse
keywords: leptin; obesity; thymic involution; thymus