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Does leptin signal adiposity in the egg-laying mammal, Tachyglossus aculeatus?
Citation
Sprent, J and Jones, SM and Nicol, SC, Does leptin signal adiposity in the egg-laying mammal, Tachyglossus aculeatus?, General and Comparative Endocrinology: An International Journal, 178, (2) pp. 372-379. ISSN 0016-6480 (2012) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2012 Elsevier Inc.
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.06.021
Abstract
Leptin is a peptide hormone best known for its role in feedback regulation of adiposity in eutherian
mammals. Normally an increase in adipose tissue mass leads to an increase in circulating leptin which
increases energy expenditure and limits food intake, but in hibernating eutherian mammals this relationship
may change to allow prehibernatory fattening. The echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is a monotreme
mammal which accumulates significant fat reserves before entering hibernation, and mates immediately
at the end of hibernation. We hypothesised that echidnas would show a strong relationship between
body mass and plasma leptin for most of the year which would change during the pre-hibernatory period.
We measured plasma leptin and body mass in free-ranging echidnas over several reproductive and
hibernation cycles. There were significant seasonal variations in plasma leptin in both sexes, with the
highest levels occurring in hibernation and in mating females. The lowest levels were found in males
when they were foraging maximally after the reproductive period. We used mass%, body mass at the time
of sampling as a percentage of long term mean mass, as a proxy for adiposity. There was a weak negative
relationship between mass% and plasma leptin, from which we infer a weak negative relationship
between adiposity and plasma leptin as has been found in reptiles and birds, rather than the strong
positive relationship found in other mammals.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Zoology |
| Research Field: | Animal developmental and reproductive biology |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Terrestrial biodiversity |
| UTAS Author: | Sprent, J (Dr Jennifer Sprent) |
| UTAS Author: | Jones, SM (Professor Susan Jones) |
| UTAS Author: | Nicol, SC (Associate Professor Stewart Nicol) |
| ID Code: | 78881 |
| Year Published: | 2012 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 13 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2012-07-31 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 2 View Download Statistics |
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