Nutritional regulation of leptin production

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The adipocyte hormone leptin regulates energy balance, substrate metabolism, immunity, bone formation and reproduction. Our recent work demonstrates that leptin production is regulated at the translational level, and that elements within its 5' UTR stimulate and its 3' UTRs inhibit translation of a reporter gene. The major goal of this application is to identify the cis elements and trans acting factors that regulate leptin translation in response to variations in nutritional state. The objectives of this application are: 1) To identify RNA binding proteins (RBP) that interact with the leptin 5' and 3'UTRs, and define the cis elements involved; 2) To determine the effect of starvation/feeding in vivo and acute treatment with insulin and beta-adrenergic agonists in vitro on expression of RBPs and their interaction with leptin mRNA; 3) To assess the functional roles of specific RBPs in leptin mRNA translation using knockdown and overexpression studies; and 4) To delineate the signaling mechanisms that cause high basal and insulin-resistant leptin translation in obesity. The leptin 3'UTR includes AU-rich sequences and motifs for binding of RBPs that are known to stimulate (HuR) or inhibit (TIA-1, TIAR) the translation of specific mRNAs. We will therefore determine if leptin mRNA 'in vivo' associates with RBPs 'in vivo' by immunoprecipitating ribonucleoprotein complexes from cytosolic extracts of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and rat adipocytes. Pull-down assays using biotinylated leptin UTR probes will verify the interactions of RBPs of interest and point to the motifs involved. We will test the hypothesis that insulin in vitro or nutritional status in vivo (starvation, feeding) affects the binding of specific RBPs to leptin mRNA, and involves an alteration in their expression and/or nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Finally, we will test the hypothesis that the chronic hyperinsulinemia associated with obesity increases leptin production at the translational level through the activation of stress / energy sensing pathways (e.g. mTOR, AMPK, and MAPK) and/or by altering the expression or binding of specific RBPs to leptin mRNA. Overall, the proposed studies will enhance understanding of leptin biology and broaden knowledge of how the adipocyte functions as an endocrine cell that orchestrates the production of numerous hormones and cytokines in response to nutritional cues.