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The Role of Leptin in the Development of Energy Homeostatic Systems and the Maintenance of Body Weight

Journal

FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 12, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.789519

Keywords

leptin; adipose tissue; development; maintenance; energy balance

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This article discusses the pleiotropic gene LEP and how leptin's actions go beyond just signaling the size of adipose tissue stores. It emphasizes the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal effects of leptin on systems regulating energy stores and the importance of therapeutic manipulation of the intrauterine environment. The review suggests that future research should focus on using leptin sensitizing agents and identifying specific cohorts that may respond better to activating the leptin signaling pathway.
LEP is a pleiotropic gene and the actions of leptin extend well beyond simply acting as the signal of the size of adipose tissue stores originally proposed. This is a discussion of the multi-system interactions of leptin with the development of the neural systems regulating energy stores, and the subsequent maintenance of energy stores throughout the lifespan. The prenatal, perinatal, and later postnatal effects of leptin on systems regulating body energy stores and on the energy stores themselves are heavily influenced by the nutritional environment which leptin exposure occurs. This review discusses the prenatal and perinatal roles of leptin in establishing the neuronal circuitry and other systems relevant to the adiposity set-point (or threshold) and the role of leptin in maintaining weight homeostasis in adulthood. Therapeutic manipulation of the intrauterine environment, use of leptin sensitizing agents, and identification of specific cohorts who may be more responsive to leptin or other means of activating the leptin signaling pathway are ripe areas for future research.

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