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Synthesis of leptin in human placenta
R Señarís1, T Garcia-Caballero, X Casabiell
1Department of Physiology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Endocrinology
|October 10, 1997
Summary
Human placentae synthesize leptin, a hormone involved in energy balance. This study confirms intact leptin production within placental tissue, identical to recombinant human leptin.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Gender-based differences in serum leptin levels are observed in umbilical cord blood.
- Leptin has been detected in human amniotic fluid, suggesting potential placental involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether human placentae directly synthesize leptin.
- To characterize the molecular form of leptin in placental tissue.
Main Methods:
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect leptin mRNA in placental RNA.
- Analysis of placental extracts for leptin-like immunoradioactivity, comparing charge, immunorecognition, SDS-PAGE, and blotting with human leptin.
- Immunohistochemical analysis to localize leptin within placental tissue.
Main Results:
- Human leptin mRNA was detected in placenta-derived RNA.
- Placental extracts contained intact leptin, identical in characteristics to human recombinant leptin.
- Leptin was localized to the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblast cells.
Conclusions:
- Human placentae synthesize leptin as a single molecular variant.
- The synthesized placental leptin is identical to human recombinant leptin.
- Leptin is present in the syncytiotrophoblast cells of the human placenta at delivery.