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Theses/Dissertations

Rockefeller University

2004

Leptin

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Site And Mechanism Of Leptin's Antisteatotic And Insulin Sensitizing Actions In Lipodystrophic Liver, Esra Asilmaz Jan 2004

Site And Mechanism Of Leptin's Antisteatotic And Insulin Sensitizing Actions In Lipodystrophic Liver, Esra Asilmaz

Student Theses and Dissertations

An adipocyte hormone which functions as the afferent signal in a negative feedback loop regulating energy balance, has profound effects on glucose and lipid metabolisms. Lipodystrophic humans and mice have a complete or partial absence of adipose tissue and a secondary reduction of leptin. This is associated with insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, which are corrected by leptin administration. This thesis aimed to define the site of leptin action and understand the molecular basis of leptin's insulin sensitizing and antisteatotic effects in lipodystrophy. To determine the site of leptin action, we treated lipodystrophic aP2-nSREBP-lc mice with a low dose of …


Life Without Gpr7, The Neuropeptide W1 Receptor: Regulation Of Energy Homeostasis By Gpr7 And Its Endogenous Neuropeptide Ligands, Makoto Ishii Jan 2004

Life Without Gpr7, The Neuropeptide W1 Receptor: Regulation Of Energy Homeostasis By Gpr7 And Its Endogenous Neuropeptide Ligands, Makoto Ishii

Student Theses and Dissertations

Classic lesion experiments from the 1940s have established the hypothalamus as playing an essential role in controlling energy homeostasis. Gold-thioglucose (GTG) induces lesions in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) resulting in hyperphagia and obesity. To identify genes involved in the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis, we employed a screen to search for genes that were dysregulated in GTG induced obese mice. In this screen, GPR7, the endogenous G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for the recently identified ligands neuropeptide B (NPB) and neuropeptide W (NPW), was found to be specifically down-regulated after GTG treatment. The physiological role of GPR7 was …