The ontogeny of leptin mRNA expression in growing broilers and its relationship to metabolic body weight

The polypeptide hormone leptin is produced by both adipose tissue and the liver and has been shown to induce satiety in chickens. In this study we have investigated the developmental regulation of leptin mRNA expression in growing broiler chickens. Leptin expression generally increases in all tissues from 1-12 weeks of age. In the subcutaneous fat depot there is an apparent pattern of increased leptin mRNA expression occurring at 2, 6, and 10 weeks post-hatch. This pattern was not evident in the other tissues surveyed and may relate to the cycle of loading and unloading of adipocytes with lipid. No consistent gender differences in leptin expression patterns were detected in the tissues surveyed, as is often observed in mammals. Positive correlations between metabolic body weight and adipose leptin expression levels were observed. Leptin expression by the liver was highly correlated with metabolic body weight from 1-6 weeks of age, and uncorrelated from 6-12 weeks of age. This pattern of increasing liver leptin expression with increasing body weight during the early rapid growth phase of the bird may be due to limited fat storage during this period, which is followed by rapid body fat accumulation from 6-12 weeks. The characterization and tissue specific distribution of leptin mRNA expression in the growing broiler indicate similar patterns of leptin production to that of growing mammals. Leptin may be involved in lipid flux through the adipocyte as well as the shift in lipid metabolism to increased storage during pre-puberty.