Leptin in immunology.

Does leptin play a role in obesity-asthma relationship?

The increase of asthma has paralleled the rising obesity during the past decades. Obesity is characterized by the increase of leptin in the circulation. Leptin is an obesity gene product, and it can stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon (IFN)-gamma. There is a link between leptin and asthma, especiall...

Leptin in Immunology 1

Role of leptin in immunity.

Leptin, a protein hormone produced by the adipocytes, has long been recognized to regulate metabolism, neuroendorine and other physiological functions. Early findings of increased leptin production during infection and inflammation and dysregulated immune response in leptin signaling-deficient mice provide strong evidence for the involvement of leptin in the immune responses. Recent data have e...

Leptin receptor signaling in T cells is required for Th17 differentiation.

The hormone leptin plays a key role in energy homeostasis, and the absence of either leptin or its receptor (LepR) leads to severe obesity and metabolic disorders. To avoid indirect effects and to address the cell-intrinsic role of leptin signaling in the immune system, we conditionally targeted LepR in T cells. In contrast with pleiotropic immune disorders reported in obese mice with leptin or...

Requirement for leptin in the induction and progression of autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Recent evidence indicates that leptin modifies T cell immunity, and may provide a key link between nutritional deficiency and immune dysfunction. To study the influence of leptin on autoimmunity, susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced by immunization with a myelin-derived peptide was examined in leptin-deficient, C57BL/6J-ob/ob mice, with or without leptin replaceme...