Leptin receptor expression in nodose ganglion cells projecting to the rat gastric fundus

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 320; no. 1; pp. 41 - 44
• Main Authors: Peiser, Christian, Springer, Jochen, Groneberg, David A, McGregor, Gerard P, Fischer, Axel, Lang, Rudolf E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.03.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amidines; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Carrier Proteins - metabolism; Fluorescent Dyes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastric Fundus - innervation; Gastric Fundus - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; Leptin; Leptin - metabolism; Leptin receptor; Male; Neurons, Afferent - cytology; Neurons, Afferent - metabolism; Nodose ganglion; Nodose Ganglion - cytology; Nodose Ganglion - metabolism; Primary afferent neurons; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Leptin; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology; Stomach; Vertebrates: digestive system; Visceral Afferents - metabolism; Primary afferent neurons; Leptin receptor; Rat; Leptin; Nodose ganglion; Stomach; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Digestive system; Rodentia; Peptide hormone; Gastric fundus; Projection; Biological receptor
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00023-X

Recent studies suggest that in addition to adipocytes the chief cells of the gastric fundic mucosa are a site of leptin production. In order to assess the possible role of vagal afferent neurons in transmitting leptin signals from the stomach to the brain, leptin receptor (OB-R) expression was investigated in rat nodose ganglion cells and their projection to the stomach determined by retrograde tracing. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction combined with laser-assisted cell picking revealed that large and small diameter neurons express both the long (OB-Rb) and short (OB-Ra) splice variants of the OB-R. OB-R like immunoreactivity was detected in the perikarya of approximately 8% of nodose ganglion neurons. Tracing studies revealed that a significant proportion (15%) of the immunopositive neurons projected to the gastric fundus. These findings suggest that leptin may use a neural route to relay its message from peripheral sites of leptin synthesis such as the gastric fundus to the brain.