Insulin-stimulated leptin secretion requires calcium and PI3K/Akt activation

Numerous studies have focused on the regulation of leptin signalling and the functions of leptin in energy homoeostasis; however, little is known about how leptin secretion is regulated. In the present study we studied leptin storage and secretion regulation in 3T3-L1 and primary adipocytes. Leptin is stored in membrane-bound vesicles that are localized predominantly in the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) and close to the plasma membrane of both 3T3-L1 and primary adipocytes. Insulin increases leptin secretion as early as 15 min without affecting the leptin mRNA level. Interestingly, treatment with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and the ER-Golgi trafficking blocker Brefeldin A inhibit both basal and ISLS (insulin-stimulated leptin secretion), suggesting that insulin stimulates leptin secretion by up-regulating leptin synthesis and that leptin-containing vesicles go through the ER-Golgi route. The PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt, but not MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), pathway is involved in ISLS in vitro and in vivo. Although Ca2+ triggers synaptic vesicle and secretory granule exocytosis, Ca2+ influx alone is not sufficient to induce leptin secretion. Remarkably, Ca2+ is required for ISLS possibly due to its involvement in insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation. We conclude that insulin stimulates leptin release through the PI3K/Akt pathway and that Ca2+ is required for robust Akt phosphorylation and leptin secretion.