Neglia Simona, Arcamone Nadia, Gargiulo Giuliana, de Girolamo Paolo
Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples, Italy.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2008 Jan 15;155(2):432-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2007.07.007. Epub 2007 Aug 8.
Leptin is a hormone produced and secreted mainly by adipocytes, but also by other tissues such as placenta, brain, mammary, and pituitary glands. The gastric epithelium has also been reported as a source of leptin in mammals. In this study we examined the presence of leptin in the chicken gastroenteric tract by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Strong and widespread leptin-like immunoreactivity was observed in the mucosal epithelium of proventriculus plicae and in the epithelium of the complex compound glands. Numerous leptin-immunoreactive cells were found along lining epithelium of duodenum villi, while few leptin-immunoreactive cells were observed in the basal zone of duodenum glands. Many leptin-immunoreactive cells were found in the caeca at the basal zone of glands, while very few leptin-immunoreactive cells were found in the deep glandular structures of the large intestine. In the homogenates of chicken gastroenteric tract the protein detected using a human leptin-specific antibody had estimated molecular weight of approximately 15-16 kDa. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating leptin-like protein distribution in the whole gastroenteric tract of bird. This finding constitute important data for the further understanding of the mechanism that regulate feeding behaviour in birds, farm animal for which the control of food intake and fatness are a high economic interest.
瘦素是一种主要由脂肪细胞产生和分泌的激素，但胎盘、大脑、乳腺和垂体等其他组织也能产生。在哺乳动物中，胃上皮也被报道为瘦素的一个来源。在本研究中，我们通过免疫组织化学和蛋白质印迹法检测了鸡胃肠道中瘦素的存在情况。在腺胃皱襞的黏膜上皮和复合腺的上皮中观察到强烈且广泛的瘦素样免疫反应性。在十二指肠绒毛的衬里上皮中发现了许多瘦素免疫反应性细胞，而在十二指肠腺的基底区观察到很少的瘦素免疫反应性细胞。在盲肠腺体的基底区发现了许多瘦素免疫反应性细胞，而在大肠的深部腺结构中发现的瘦素免疫反应性细胞非常少。在鸡胃肠道的匀浆中，使用人瘦素特异性抗体检测到的蛋白质估计分子量约为15 - 16 kDa。据我们所知，这是首次报道在鸟类整个胃肠道中瘦素样蛋白的分布情况。这一发现为进一步了解调节鸟类（作为农场动物，其食物摄入和肥胖控制具有很高的经济利益）摄食行为的机制提供了重要数据。
