Quack Leptin

Overview

Journal BMC Genomics

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Genetics

Date 2014 Jul 5

PMID 24992969

Citations 9

Authors

Miriam Friedman-Einat

Eyal Seroussi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: A LEP transcript up-regulated in lungs of ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) infected by avian influenza A virus was recently described in the Nature Genetics manuscript that reported the duck genome. In vertebrates, LEP gene symbol is reserved for leptin, the key regulator of energy balance in mammals.

Results: Launching an extensive search for this gene in the genome data that was submitted to the public databases along with duck genome manuscript and extending this search to all avian genomes in the whole-genome shotgun-sequencing database, we were able to report the first identification of coding sequences capable of encoding the full leptin protein precursor in wild birds. Gene structure, synteny and sequence-similarity (up to 54% identity and 68% similarity) to reptilian leptin evident in falcons (Falco peregrinus and cherrug), tits (Pseudopodoces humilis), finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and doves (Columba livia) confirmed that the bird leptin was a true ortholog of its mammalian form. Nevertheless, in duck, like other domestic fowls the LEP gene was not identifiable.

Conclusion: Lack of the LEP gene in poultry suggests that birds that have lost it are particularly suited to domestication. Identification of an intact avian gene for leptin in wild birds might explain in part the evolutionary conservation of its receptor in leptin-less fowls.

Citing Articles

A Bird's-Eye Overview of Leptin and Female Reproduction -with Mammalian Comparisons.

Ahmadi S, Ohkubo T J Poult Sci. 2025; 62:2025007.

PMID: 39916995 PMC: 11794366. DOI: 10.2141/jpsa.2025007.

A genome-wide association analysis for body weight at 35 days measured on 137,343 broiler chickens.

Dadousis C, Somavilla A, Ilska J, Johnsson M, Batista L, Mellanby R Genet Sel Evol. 2021; 53(1):70.

PMID: 34496773 PMC: 8424881. DOI: 10.1186/s12711-021-00663-w.

Sequence properties of certain GC rich avian genes, their origins and absence from genome assemblies: case studies.

Beauclair L, Rame C, Arensburger P, Piegu B, Guillou F, Dupont J BMC Genomics. 2019; 20(1):734.

PMID: 31610792 PMC: 6792250. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6131-1.

Avian Expression Patterns and Genomic Mapping Implicate Leptin in Digestion and TNF in Immunity, Suggesting That Their Interacting Adipokine Role Has Been Acquired Only in Mammals.

Seroussi E, Knytl M, Pitel F, Elleder D, Krylov V, Leroux S Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(18).

PMID: 31514326 PMC: 6770569. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184489.

Peripherally injected ghrelin and leptin reduce food hoarding and mass gain in the coal tit ().

Henderson L, Cockcroft R, Kaiya H, Boswell T, Smulders T Proc Biol Sci. 2018; 285(1879).

PMID: 29794047 PMC: 5998117. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0417.

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