PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Leptin signaling and its relationship with obesity-induced insulin resistance

Leptin signaling and its relationship with obesity-induced insulin resistance
2024-11-12
(Press-News.org)

The World Health Organization describes obesity as an epidemic that disrupts metabolic equilibrium, characterized by an excess of adipose tissue and chronic inflammation. This state arises from various factors, including genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices like high caloric intake and physical inactivity​. Leptin, primarily produced by adipose tissue, regulates hunger by signaling satiety to the hypothalamus. However, in obesity, leptin's transport to the brain is often blocked, leading to leptin resistance. This resistance complicates leptin’s utility as a therapeutic agent due to dysfunctional signaling pathways that emerge in brain regions critical for appetite regulation and energy homeostasis​.

Methods

This review is part of the "Project ATA," a large, multicenter study using bioinformatics tools to systematically analyze leptin signaling pathways. The research utilizes high-level data from sources like UniProt and Gene Ontology, combined with experimental findings, to pinpoint molecules involved in leptin and insulin interaction pathways. Systematic literature searches were performed across PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using terms such as "leptin," "insulin resistance," and "obesity," ensuring that the curated data met reproducibility standards.

Obesity, Leptin Resistance, and Metabolic Syndrome

MS, defined by a constellation of high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, insulin resistance, and abdominal obesity, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The review highlights how obesity-driven elevations in leptin levels—commonly known as hyperleptinemia—exacerbate metabolic syndrome. Elevated leptin levels trigger insulin resistance by activating pro-inflammatory pathways that induce mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, both implicated in T2DM. Moreover, hyperleptinemia leads to further leptin resistance, creating a feedback loop that worsens obesity and metabolic outcomes​.

Molecular Mechanisms of Leptin Resistance

Leptin resistance involves various molecular alterations, particularly in leptin transport and receptor function. Key proteins, such as suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS3) and protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), inhibit leptin receptor signaling by promoting the degradation of receptor-associated proteins and blocking downstream signaling cascades. Additionally, chronic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammation from high-fat diets further disrupt leptin signaling within proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. This stress inhibits the JAK/STAT pathway, which is essential for leptin's satiety effects and contributes to persistent leptin resistance​.

Leptin and Insulin Resistance Pathway Convergence

At the cellular level, leptin signaling intersects with insulin pathways in pancreatic β-cells. When leptin binds to its receptors in these cells, it modulates insulin secretion by influencing pathways like phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and the cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway. Under leptin resistance, these pathways become dysregulated, promoting hyperinsulinemia. The FoxO1 transcription factor, which is influenced by leptin, also directly impacts insulin gene expression; when dysregulated, it further impairs insulin release and signaling, contributing to glucose imbalance and the onset of T2DM. Furthermore, the overactivation of pathways involving Rho GTPase Cdc42 and MAP kinases like ERK exacerbates insulin resistance by increasing oxidative stress and promoting inflammation.

Future Directions

Continued research is needed to validate these pathways experimentally and develop interventions that precisely target leptin signaling dysregulation. Such efforts could pave the way for novel therapies capable of addressing the underlying metabolic disturbances in obesity, potentially alleviating the global burden of metabolic syndrome and related diseases.

Conclusions

This review underscores the intricate molecular interplay between leptin resistance, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, revealing pathways that offer potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The failure of exogenous leptin treatments in obesity suggests the need for alternative approaches, such as targeting downstream molecules within leptin signaling pathways. Bioinformatics insights guide future research toward therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring leptin sensitivity or mitigating its metabolic effects, such as the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.

 

Full text

https://www.xiahepublishing.com/1555-3884/GE-2024-00039

 

The study was recently published in the Gene Expression.

Gene Expression (GE) is an open-access journal. It was launched in 1991 by Chicago Medical School Press, and transferred to Cognizant Communication Corporation in 1994. From August 2022, GE is published by Xia & He Publishing Inc.   

 

GE publishes peer-reviewed and high-quality original articles, reviews, editorials, commentaries, and opinions on its primary research topics including cell biology, molecular biology, genes, and genetics, especially on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of human diseases. 

GE has been indexed in Medline (1991-2021), Scopus, Biological Abstracts, Biosis Previews, ProQuest, etc.

Follow us on X: @xiahepublishing

Follow us on LinkedIn: Xia & He Publishing Inc.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Leptin signaling and its relationship with obesity-induced insulin resistance Leptin signaling and its relationship with obesity-induced insulin resistance 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A new frontier in diabetes research through lysosomal dysfunction and pancreatic tissue

A new frontier in diabetes research through lysosomal dysfunction and pancreatic tissue
2024-11-12
A new study published in [Journal] highlights the critical role of lysosomes, cellular organelles responsible for waste disposal and recycling, in the development and progression of diabetes. Researchers from [Institution] have uncovered the complex interplay between lysosomal function and the pathogenesis of various diabetes types, including type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. The study, titled “Lysosomal Stress in Pancreatic Endocrine Tissue in the Context of Diabetes Mellitus,” ...

Bioengineered yeast mass produces herbal medicine

Bioengineered yeast mass produces herbal medicine
2024-11-12
Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of Kobe University bioengineers manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations. The achievement also points the way to the microbial production of other plant-derived compounds. Herbal medicinal products offer many beneficial health effects, but they are often unsuitable for mass production. One example is artepillin C, which has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer action, but is only available as a bee culture product. The Kobe University bioengineer ...

Reporting into the void: Research validates victims' doubts about response to phishing reports

2024-11-12
The cybersecurity refrain when encountering phishing emails invariably advises: “don’t click on that link” and “report that email” — but new research from Drexel University and Arizona State University has revealed a problematic reality: Most major companies do little to support reporting and few take action to shut down phishing sites disguised as their own after they have been reported. Recently presented at the International Symposium on Research in Attacks, Intrusions and ...

Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation

2024-11-12
Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation, a short film produced by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with support from the Pulitzer Center, addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time: the quest to stem the swelling tide of misinformation. Decoding Deception explores potential remedies to this growing societal problem. While social media acts as an accelerant for the rampant spread of misinformation on climate change, public health, and politics, the rise of generative AI risks worsening the problem. Left unchecked, disinformation and misinformation can inflict lasting damage on people, institutions, and society ...

Plant green-up and herbivory in Greenland

Plant green-up and herbivory in Greenland
2024-11-12
A study links herbivory to phenology in the Arctic. Phenology is the study of the timing of events in the natural world. In recent decades, researchers have investigated how climate change is shifting many natural events. Eric Post and colleagues wanted to understand how a different variable—the presence or absence of herbivores—affects the timing of spring plant growth, or green-up, in Greenland. In an experiment lasting nine years, the authors excluded musk oxen and caribou from some areas, then compared the timing of the spring green-up of 9 tundra plant species in the areas with and without herbivores. Of the plants that showed altered green-up between the conditions, about ...

Grandparents help grandkids in many ways – but the reverse may be true too, poll suggests

Grandparents help grandkids in many ways – but the reverse may be true too, poll suggests
2024-11-12
As many Americans prepare to gather with their families for the holidays, a new poll shows the importance of grandchildren in grandparents’ lives. The poll also suggests that having grandchildren and seeing them regularly may have a link to older adults’ mental health and risk of loneliness. Although the poll can’t show cause and effect, the findings suggest a need to study the role of grandparenting in older adults’ lives, as part of a broader effort to address social isolation. At ...

Giving robots superhuman vision using radio signals

Giving robots superhuman vision using radio signals
2024-11-12
In the race to develop robust perception systems for robots, one persistent challenge has been operating in bad weather and harsh conditions. For example, traditional, light-based vision sensors such as cameras or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) fail in heavy smoke and fog.  However, nature has shown that vision doesn't have to be constrained by light’s limitations — many organisms have evolved ways to perceive their environment without relying on light. Bats navigate using the echoes of sound waves, while sharks hunt by sensing electrical fields from their prey's movements. Radio waves, whose wavelengths are orders of magnitude ...

Digital twins and complexity data science

Digital twins and complexity data science
2024-11-12
A Perspective suggests that “digital twins” are not simply tools for science but are an example of the integration of complexity science and data science into a new scientific field. A “digital twin” is a digital representation of a real-world object or system. The idea emerged from manufacturing but has been adopted by science, especially by the fields of medicine, immunology, and epidemiology. Digital twins are typically frequently or continuously updated and improved with real data from the real object the digital twin mirrors, allowing ...

‘Moonlighting’ enzymes can lead to new cancer therapies

‘Moonlighting’ enzymes can lead to new cancer therapies
2024-11-12
Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) reveal that metabolic enzymes known for their roles in energy production and nucleotide synthesis are taking on unexpected "second jobs" within the nucleus, orchestrating critical functions like cell division and DNA repair.   The discovery, reported across two separate research papers out today in Nature Communications, not only challenges longstanding biological paradigms in cellular biology but also opens new avenues for cancer therapies, particularly against aggressive tumours like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).  For decades, biology textbooks have neatly compartmentalised ...

One genomic test can diagnose nearly any infection

2024-11-12
Next-generation metagenomic sequencing test developed at UCSF proves its effectiveness in quickly diagnosing almost any kind of pathogen.  A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen – virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite – has proved successful after a decade of use.   The test has the potential to vastly improve care for neurological infections that cause diseases like meningitis and encephalitis, as well as speed up the detection of new viral pandemic threats. It uses a powerful genomic sequencing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AACR: Topical treatment offers relief from painful skin rash caused by targeted cancer therapy

Buprenorphine treatment in pregnancy and maternal-infant outcomes

Donor lungs safely preserved up to 20 hours out-of-body prior to transplantation

Experts at ISHLT report urgent need for pediatric heart support devices

DCD heart transplantation reaches 10-year mark, now up to 30% of transplant volumes

Immunotherapy before and after surgery improves outcomes in head and neck cancer

Donor hearts are traveling longer distances with machine perfusion

Six leading organizations unite to launch the pediatric heart transplant alliance

Effect of coupled wing motion on the aerodynamic performance during different flight stages of pigeon

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

[Press-News.org] Leptin signaling and its relationship with obesity-induced insulin resistance