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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice

Published on: July 12, 2024

Leptin increases maternal investment.

Susannah S French¹, Timothy J Greives, Devin A Zysling

¹Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA. sfrench@biology.usu.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|August 28, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Leptin, an adipose hormone, signals energy availability to mothers, influencing offspring production and self-maintenance. Elevated leptin in Siberian hamsters increased litter size and survival by reducing infanticide, but suppressed immune function.

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Area of Science:

Reproductive biology
Endocrinology
Behavioral ecology

Background:

Organisms prioritize genetic offspring, but resource limitations create trade-offs between self-maintenance and reproduction.
Energetic allocation is crucial for survival and reproductive success.
The role of hormones in mediating these trade-offs is an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of the adipose hormone leptin in mediating energetic trade-offs between maternal investment in offspring and self-maintenance.
To test the hypothesis that leptin influences maternal decisions regarding resource allocation in Siberian hamsters.

Main Methods:

Examined the effects of elevated maternal leptin on offspring production (embryo retention, litter size, offspring survival) and self-maintenance (immune function) in Siberian hamsters.
Investigated potential epigenetic effects of leptin signaling.

Main Results:

Elevated maternal leptin levels were associated with retaining more embryos to parturition and rearing more offspring to weaning.
Reduced maternal infanticide was observed in females with elevated leptin.
Innate immune response was suppressed in mothers with larger litters, indicating a cost to self-maintenance.
Leptin acts as a signal of energy availability, influencing maternal investment strategies.

Conclusions:

Leptin plays a critical role in maternal energy management, balancing investment in reproduction versus self-maintenance.
Leptin signaling can lead to epigenetic effects that influence reproductive output.
Increased reproductive effort mediated by leptin comes at the cost of suppressed maternal immune function.