|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CARDIOVASCULAR
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculté de Médecine de Paris-Ile de France-Ouest, Université Versailles-St Quentin en Yvelines, France
Received for publication
May 21, 2003
Accepted
July 29, 2003.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
In overweight induced by the cafeteria diet feeding, we have previously shown that a sexual dimorphism in hypertension occurs (Coatmellec-Taglioni et al., 2002
). Indeed, male cafeteria-fed rats develop hypertension, whereas female fed the same diet are overweight but normotensive (Coatmellec-Taglioni et al., 2002
). Interestingly, this sexual dimorphism of the cafeteria diet-induced hypertension was suppressed by testosterone imprinting of female rats at birth (Plut et al., 2002
). Moreover, gender difference in renal leptin receptors was also observed in cafeteria diet-fed rats because renal Ob-R was down-regulated only in hypertensive rats (Coatmellec-Taglioni et al., 2003
). In the sexual dimorphism in hypertension of cafeteria diet-fed rats, gender differences in hypothalamic leptin signaling also occurred. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure hypothalamic gene expression of leptin receptor isoforms in cafeteria diet-fed rats. Moreover, some components regulated by leptin and involved either in the control of energy balance and blood pressure (POMC and NPY) or in leptin signaling modulation (the suppressors of cytokine signaling, SOCS, and the cytokine inhibitor signaling, CIS) were also investigated in the hypothalamus of male, intact female, and neonatal androgenized female cafeteria diet-fed rats.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Blood Pressure Measurement and Hormonal Determinations. Systolic blood pressure, plasma leptin and insulin levels measurements were described in our previous study (Coatmellec-Taglioni et al., 2003
).
RNA Isolation and PCR Experiments. Total hypothalamic RNA was isolated and RNA-directed cDNA synthesis were performed with 3 µg of RNA as described previously (Plut et al., 2002
). Then, mixture containing the synthesized cDNAs was diluted in 4 volumes of sterile water and used for PCR experiments. Each PCR reaction (100-µl final volume) was carried out with 10 µl of cDNA as template, in the presence of 1 µCi of [3H]dCTP (1.92 x 1012 Bq/mmol; Amersham Biosciences Inc., Les Ullis, France) and HotStarTaq DNA polymerase (QIAGEN S.A., Courtaboeuf, France), under the conditions recommended by the supplier. PCR amplifications were performed using a programmed temperature control system (Appligen Oncor, Illkirch, France). After initial activation of the TaqDNA polymerase at 95°C for 15 min, samples were subjected to the following amplification cycles: denaturation at 94°C for 1 min, annealing at a specific temperature for each primer for 1 min (Table 1), and elongation at 72°C for 1 min. Primers used for amplification, annealing temperatures, and number of cycles are summarized in Table 1. Primers used for
-actin amplification were chosen to span two introns to discriminate the cDNA amplification products from genomic DNA contamination. Linear ranges for each leptin receptor isoform, each SOCS, POMC, NPY, and actin were determined to ensure that all reactions were analyzed during the exponential phase of amplification in all groups. Each reaction mixture was resolved in a 1.5% low melting point agarose gel (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) stained with ethidium bromide and documented on Polaroid 665 film (Polaroid UK Ltd., St Albans, UK). For quantification, respective bands of interest were excised, melted at 70°C, and the incorporated radioactivity was determined by scintillation counting in Ready Safe (Beckman Instruments France S.A., Gagny, France). The incorporated radioactivity was normalized with respect to the length of each cDNA. Because one cDNA preparation was used for all signal studied, mRNA levels of each signal were expressed versus the same
-actin mRNA content. Measurements were made twice on two different cDNA preparations with similar results between both preparations. Results reported in this work are representative of one of these both measurements and are expressed as percentages of their respective control group.
|
Statistical Analysis. All results were expressed as the means ± S.E.M. Statistical analyses were performed using the Student's t test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
Effects of Cafeteria Diet on Hypothalamic Leptin Receptors and Neuropeptide mRNAs
Leptin Receptors. Fig. 1 shows the hypothalamic expression of the two major isoforms of leptin receptors after 10 weeks of cafeteria diet. In male rats, the short isoform Ob-Ra mRNA level was decreased by 35% (Fig. 2A) and the long isoform Ob-Rb mRNA by 45% (Fig. 2B). In contrast, cafeteria diet failed to alter leptin receptor isoform expression in intact and testosterone-treated female rats (Figs. 1 and 2, A and B). Leptin receptors belong to the cytokine receptor family (Tartaglia et al., 1995
), and CIS, in particular, SOCS, have been identified as potential mediators of central leptin resistance (Bjorbaek et al., 1998a
, 1999
; Emilsson et al., 1999
). These findings led us to study the hypothalamic expression of SOCS-1, -2, and -3 and of another potential inhibitor of leptin signaling, CIS (Emilsson et al., 1999
) (Fig. 1). As shown in Fig. 3, A-D, gene expression of all these inhibitors was unaltered in untreated female cafeteria-diet fed rats. In contrast, a significant increase in the expression of SOCS-1 was observed only in male cafeteria diet-fed rats (Fig. 3B). Moreover, cafeteria diet feeding lead to higher hypothalamic SOCS-3 mRNA levels in testosterone-treated females rats (Fig. 3D).
|
|
|
Neuropeptides. The most promising candidates for leptin-sensitive cells in the hypothalamus are arcuate nucleus neurons that express NPY and those that express POMC (Baskin et al., 1999
). Both of these cell types express leptin receptors. Because NPY and POMC are implicated in the control of energy balance and modulation of the leptin-induced sympathetic activity, we studied NPY and POMC expression in cafeteria diet-fed rats (Fig. 1). Although NPY gene expression was unchanged in the hypothalamus of all cafeteria diet-fed rats (Fig. 2C), POMC mRNA levels were decreased by 34% only in male rats (Fig. 2D).
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
On the other hand, POMC and NPY are implicated in the regulation of food intake, sympathetic nervous system activation, and energy expenditure (Schwartz et al., 1996
; Flier and Maratos-Flier, 1998
; Satoh et al., 1998
). Leptin is known to modulate the hypothalamic expression of these peptides by promoting POMC mRNA and by reducing NPY mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus of nonobese rats (Schwartz et al., 1996
; Schwartz et al., 1997
). In agreement with a previous report on cafeteria diet feeding (Pedrazzi et al., 1998
), we failed to observe any significant changes in the hypothalamic expression of NPY after 10 weeks of this diet in both male and female rats. In contrast, we found a decrease in POMC mRNA level in the hypothalamus of male cafeteria diet-fed rats. Some POMC products mediate the increase in mean arterial pressure that follows acute i.c.v. leptin injection (Dunbar and Lu, 1999
). Because male rats had a decreased POMC mRNA expression, elevated blood pressure in male cafeteria diet-fed rats seems independent of the melanocortin system activation as observed in hyperleptinemic transgenic skinny mice (Aizawa-Abe et al., 2000
). However, the decreased Ob-R mRNA level occurring in male cafeteria diet-fed rats could well contribute to the decreased expression of POMC, one satiety factor (Satoh et al., 1998
), thus explaining the hyperphagia observed in male cafeteria diet-fed rat. Interestingly, similar decreases in POMC were reported in the obese Koletsky (faf/faf) rats and the obese Zucker rats, two models of leptin receptor disruption (Korner et al., 1999
; Kim et al., 2000
). In female rats, where no modifications in leptin receptors expression occurred in spite of their hyperleptinemic state, cafeteria diet failed to increase POMC expression. Thus, the altered leptin regulation of POMC expression in cafeteria diet-fed rats may contribute to the state of resistance to the anorexigenic action of leptin and by consequence to the development of obesity. Nevertheless, such a leptin resistance seems to be rather selective, because in the agouti obese mice that have blockade of melanocortin receptors (Correia et al., 2002
), leptin is still able to increase sympathetic activity. Moreover, selective leptin resistance with disruption of satiety effect and preservation of sympathetic nervous activation has been proposed as a new concept in leptin physiology with cardiovascular implications (Mark et al., 2002
). Therefore, a central pressor effect of leptin cannot be excluded in the cafeteria diet-fed rat model.
Some cytokine-inducible inhibitors of signaling are inducible by leptin or insulin and can then modulate the signaling of these hormones (Bjorbaek et al., 1998a
, 1999
; Emilsson et al., 1999
; Rui et al., 2002
). As shown in the present study, no modifications in CIS, SOCS-1, SOCS-2, and SOCS-3 mRNA levels were observed in the hypothalamus of intact female cafeteria diet-fed rats. In contrast, after 10 weeks of feeding the cafeteria diet, hypothalamic SOCS-1 mRNA level was increased only in male rats, whereas hypothalamic SOCS-3 was overexpressed in testosterone-treated females. Cross talk between insulin and leptin signal transduction have been observed, and selective interaction between these both hormones occurred (Niswender and Schwartz, 2003
). Thus, chronic insulin treatment was reported to attenuate the leptin-induced increases in sympathetic tone and cardiovascular responses (Dunbar and Lu, 2000
). Interestingly, recent studies suggest that the insulin signal transduction could be suppressed after association of SOCS-1 or SOCS-3 with the insulin receptor (Mooney et al., 2001
; Rui et al., 2002
). Because cafeteria diet induces hyperinsulinemia in the three groups of rats, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 induction in male and testosterone-treated female cafeteria diet-fed rats, respectively, could thus prevent the effect of hyperinsulinaemia and particularly the negative action of insulin toward the leptin-induced sympathetic activation. If SOCS-3 could suppress insulin signaling, it also could antagonize the signaling pathway activated by leptin (Bjorbaek et al., 1998a
, 1999
). However, the effects of an overexpression of SOCS-3 on food intake or on sympathetic tone are still unclear. It is tempting to suggest that SOCS-3 could contribute to a selective leptin resistance with alteration of food intake and preservation of sympathetic activation. Adding further weight to the latter hypothesis is our previous observation that hyperleptinemia in cafeteria-fed rats is associated with an overexpression of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene (the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamines biosynthesis) only in the hypothalamus of male and testosterone-treated female rats. Indeed, this finding strongly suggests that these rats have an increased sympathetic activity that could contribute to their hypertension (Plut et al., 2002
). It is noteworthy that leptin is able to up-regulate TH mRNA expression and stimulates catecholamines secretion (Satoh et al., 1999
; Takekoshi et al., 1999
). Conversely, the normal blood pressure observed in intact female cafeteria diet-fed rats could best be explained as follow: in the absence of any SOCS-1 or SOCS-3 induction, the hyperinsulinemia could prevent the leptin-induced sympathetic activity, a mechanism that is strongly supported by our finding of unaltered TH expression in these rats (Plut et al., 2002
).
In summary, in cafeteria diet-fed rats, alteration in leptin receptor, and/or signaling could contribute to the resistance to satiety and weight-reducing actions of leptin. Moreover, SOCS-1 or SOCS-3, which are exclusively overexpressed in the hypertensive cafeteria-fed rats, could preserve the leptin-induced sympathetic tone activation, thus allowing leptin to exert its pressor effect.
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
ABBREVIATIONS: Ob-Ra, leptin receptor-short isoform; Ob-Rb, leptin receptor-long isoform; POMC, pro-opiomelanocortin; NPY, neuropeptide Y; SOCS, suppressors of cytokine signaling; CIS, cytokine inhibitor signaling; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; TH, tyrosine hydroxylase.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Catherine Ribière, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France. E-mail: catherine.ribiere{at}paris-ouest.univ-paris5.fr
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Aizawa-Abe M, Ogawa Y, Masuzaki H, Ebihara K, Satoh N, Iwai H, Matsuoka N, Hayashi T, Hosoda K, Inoue G, et al. (2000) Pathophysiological role of leptin in obesity-related hypertension. J Clin Investig 105: 1243-1252.[Medline]
Baskin DG, Hahn TM, and Schwartz MW (1999) Leptin sensitive neurons in the hypothalamus. Horm Metab Res 31: 345-350.[Medline]
Baylis C, Samsell L, Racusen L, and Gladfelter W (1996) Hypothalamic lesions induce obesity and sex-dependent glomerular damage and increases in blood pressure in rats. Hypertension 27: 926-932.
Bjorbaek C, El-Haschimi K, Frantz JD, and Flier JS (1999) The role of SOCS-3 in leptin signaling and leptin resistance. J Biol Chem 274: 30059-30065.
Bjorbaek C, Elmquist JK, Frantz JD, Shoelson SE, and Flier JS (1998a) Identification of SOCS-3 as a potential mediator of central leptin resistance. Mol Cell 1: 619-625.[CrossRef][Medline]
Bjorbaek C, Elmquist JK, Michl P, Ahima RS, van Bueren A, McCall AL, and Flier JS (1998b) Expression of leptin receptor isoforms in rat brain microvessels. Endocrinology 139: 3485-3491.
Clegg DJ, Riedy CA, Smith KA, Benoit SC, and Woods SC (2003) Differential sensitivity to central leptin and insulin in male and female rats. Diabetes 52: 682-687.
Coatmellec-Taglioni G, Dausse JP, Giudicelli Y, and Ribiere C (2002) Gender difference in diet-induced obesity hypertension: implication of renal alpha2-adrenergic receptors. Am J Hypertens 15: 143-149.[CrossRef][Medline]
Coatmellec-Taglioni G, Dausse JP, Giudicelli Y, and Ribiere C (2003) Sexual dimorphism in cafeteria diet-induced hypertension is associated with gender-related difference in renal leptin receptor down-regulation. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 305: 362-367.
Correia ML, Haynes WG, Rahmouni K, Morgan DA, Sivitz WI, and Mark AL (2002) The concept of selective leptin resistance: evidence from agouti yellow obese mice. Diabetes 51: 439-442.
Dunbar JC, Hu Y, and Lu H (1997) Intracerebroventricular leptin increases lumbar and renal sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure in normal rats. Diabetes 46: 2040-2043.[Abstract]
Dunbar JC and Lu H (1999) Leptin-induced increase in sympathetic nervous and cardiovascular tone is mediated by proopiomelanocortin (POMC) products. Brain Res Bull 50: 215-221.[CrossRef][Medline]
Dunbar JC and Lu H (2000) Chronic intracerebroventricular insulin attenuates the leptin-mediated but not alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone increase in sympathetic and cardiovascular responses. Brain Res Bull 52: 123-126.[CrossRef][Medline]
Emilsson V, Arch JR, de Groot RP, Lister CA, and Cawthorne MA (1999) Leptin treatment increases suppressors of cytokine signaling in central and peripheral tissues. FEBS Lett 455: 170-174.[CrossRef][Medline]
Flier JS and Maratos-Flier E (1998) Obesity and the hypothalamus: novel peptides for new pathways. Cell 92: 437-440.[CrossRef][Medline]
Hall JE, Hildebrandt DA, and Kuo J (2001) Obesity hypertension: role of leptin and sympathetic nervous system. Am J Hypertens 14: 103S-115S.[CrossRef][Medline]
Haynes WG, Sivitz WI, Morgan DA, Walsh SA, and Mark AL (1997) Sympathetic and cardiorenal actions of leptin. Hypertension 30: 619-623.
Kim EM, O'Hare E, Grace MK, Welch CC, Billington CJ, and Levine AS (2000) ARC POMC mRNA and PVN alpha-MSH are lower in obese relative to lean Zucker rats. Brain Res 862: 11-16.[CrossRef][Medline]
Korner J, Chua SC Jr, Williams JA, Leibel RL, and Wardlaw SL (1999) Regulation of hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin by leptin in lean and obese rats. Neuroendocrinology 70: 377-383.[CrossRef][Medline]
Lin S, Storlien LH, and Huang XF (2000) Leptin receptor, NPY, POMC mRNA expression in the diet-induced obese mouse brain. Brain Res 875: 89-95.[CrossRef][Medline]
Mark AL, Correia M, Morgan DA, Shaffer RA, and Haynes WG (1999) State-of-theart-lecture: obesity-induced hypertension: new concepts from the emerging biology of obesity. Hypertension 33: 537-541.
Mark AL, Correia ML, Rahmouni K, and Haynes WG (2002) Selective leptin resistance: a new concept in leptin physiology with cardiovascular implications. J Hypertens 20: 1245-1250.[CrossRef][Medline]
Martin RL, Perez E, He YJ, Dawson R Jr, and Millard WJ (2000) Leptin resistance is associated with hypothalamic leptin receptor mRNA and protein downregulation. Metabolism 49: 1479-1484.[CrossRef][Medline]
Mooney RA, Senn J, Cameron S, Inamdar N, Boivin LM, Shang Y, and Furlanetto RW (2001) Suppressors of cytokine signaling-1 and -6 associate with and inhibit the insulin receptor. A potential mechanism for cytokine-mediated insulin resistance. J Biol Chem 276: 25889-25893.
Niswender KD and Schwartz MW (2003) Insulin and leptin revisited: adiposity signals with overlapping physiological and intracellular signaling capabilities. Front Neuroendocrinol 24: 1-10.[CrossRef][Medline]
Ogawa Y, Masuzaki H, Ebihara K, Shintani M, Aizawa-Abe M, Miyanaga F, and Nakao K (2002) Pathophysiogical role of leptin in lifestyle-related diseases. Studies with transgenic skinny mice overexpressing leptin. J Diabetes Complications 16: 119-122.[CrossRef][Medline]
Pedrazzi P, Cattaneo L, Valeriani L, Boschi S, Cocchi D, and Zoli M (1998) Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y and galanin in overweight rats fed a cafeteria diet. Peptides 19: 157-165.[CrossRef][Medline]
Plut C, Ribiere C, Giudicelli Y, and Dausse JP (2002) Gender differences in hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase and alpha(2)-adrenoceptor subtype gene expression in cafeteria diet-induced hypertension and consequences of neonatal androgenization. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 302: 525-531.
Rizk NM, Liu LS, and Eckel J (1998) Hypothalamic expression of neuropeptide-Y in the New Zealand obese mouse. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 22: 1172-1177.[CrossRef][Medline]
Rui L, Yuan M, Frantz D, Shoelson S, and White MF (2002) SOCS-1and SOCS-3 block insulin signaling by ubiquitin-mediated degradation of IRS1 and IRS2. J Biol Chem 277: 42394-42398.
Sahu A, Nguyen L, and O'Doherty RM (2002) Nutritional regulation of hypothalamic leptin receptor gene expression is defective in diet-induced obesity. J Neuroendocrinol 14: 887-893.[Medline]
Satoh N, Ogawa Y, Katsuura G, Numata Y, Masuzaki H, Yoshimasa Y, and Nakao K (1998) Satiety effect and sympathetic activation of leptin are mediated by hypothalamic melanocortin system. Neurosci Lett 249: 107-110.[CrossRef][Medline]
Satoh N, Ogawa Y, Katsuura G, Numata Y, Tsuji T, Hayase M, Ebihara K, Masuzaki H, Hosoda K, Yoshimasa Y, et al. (1999) Sympathetic activation of leptin via the ventromedial hypothalamus: leptin-induced increase in catecholamine secretion. Diabetes 48: 1787-1793.[Abstract]
Schwartz MW, Seeley RJ, Campfield LA, Burn P, and Baskin DG (1996) Identification of targets of leptin action in rat hypothalamus. J Clin Investig 98: 1101-1106.[Medline]
Schwartz MW, Seeley RJ, Woods SC, Weigle DS, Campfield LA, Burn P, and Baskin DG (1997) Leptin increases hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA expression in the rostral arcuate nucleus. Diabetes 46: 2119-2123.[Abstract]
Shek EW, Brands MW, and Hall JE (1998) Chronic leptin infusion increases arterial pressure. Hypertension 31: 409-414.
Takaya K, Ogawa Y, Isse N, Okazaki T, Satoh N, Masuzaki H, Mori K, Tamura N, Hosoda K, and Nakao K (1996) Molecular cloning of rat leptin receptor isoform complementary DNAs - identification of a missense mutation in Zucker fatty (fa/fa) rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 225: 75-83.[CrossRef][Medline]
Takekoshi K, Motooka M, Isobe K, Nomura F, Manmoku T, Ishii K, and Nakai T (1999) Leptin directly stimulates catecholamine secretion and synthesis in cultured porcine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 261: 426-431.[CrossRef][Medline]
Tartaglia LA, Dembski M, Weng X, Deng N, Culpepper J, Devos R, Richards GJ, Campfield LA, Clark FT, Deeds J, et al. (1995) Identification and expression cloning of a leptin receptor, OB-R. Cell 83: 1263-1271.[CrossRef][Medline]
Xu B, Kalra PS, Farmerie WG, and Kalra SP (1999) Daily changes in hypothalamic gene expression of neuropeptide Y, galanin, proopiomelanocortin and adipocyte leptin gene expression and secretion: effects of food restriction. Endocrinology 140: 2868-2875.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
K. C. Page, R. E. Malik, J. A. Ripple, and E. K. Anday Maternal and postweaning diet interaction alters hypothalamic gene expression and modulates response to a high-fat diet in male offspring Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, October 1, 2009; 297(4): R1049 - R1057. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Munzberg, J. S. Flier, and C. Bjorbaek Region-Specific Leptin Resistance within the Hypothalamus of Diet-Induced Obese Mice Endocrinology, November 1, 2004; 145(11): 4880 - 4889. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Bjorbaek and B. B. Kahn Leptin Signaling in the Central Nervous System and the Periphery Recent Prog. Horm. Res., January 1, 2004; 59(1): 305 - 331. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||