Experimental Approach to Examine Leptin Signaling in the Carotid Bodies and its Effects on Control of Breathing

Summary

Our study focuses on the effects of leptin signaling in carotid body (CB) on the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). We performed 'loss of function' experiments measuring the effect of leptin on HVR after CB denervation and 'gain of function' experiments measuring HVR after overexpression of the leptin receptor in CB.

Abstract

An adipocyte-produced hormone leptin is a potent respiratory stimulant, which may play an important role in defending respiratory function in obesity. The carotid bodies (CB), a key organ of peripheral hypoxic sensitivity, express the long functional isoform of leptin receptor (LepR^b) but the role of leptin signaling in control of breathing has not been fully elucidated. We examined the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) (1) in C57BL/6J mice before and after leptin infusion at baseline and after CB denervation; (2) in LepR^b-deficient obese db/db mice at baseline and after LepR^b overexpression in CBs. In C57BL/6J mice, leptin increased HVR and effects of leptin on HVR were abolished by CB denervation. In db/db mice, LepR^b expression in CB augmented the HVR. Therefore, we conclude that leptin acts in CB to augment responses to hypoxia.

Introduction

An adipocyte produced hormone leptin acts in the hypothalamus to suppress food intake and increase metabolic rate. Studies performed in our laboratory^1,2 and by other investigators^3,4 showed that leptin increases the hypercapnic ventilatory response (HVR) preventing obesity hypoventilation in leptin deficient obesity. However, a majority of obese individuals have high plasma leptin levels and demonstrate resistance to the metabolic and respiratory effects of the hormone^5,6,

Protocol

All experimental protocols have been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (MO18M211).

1. Leptin Infusion

NOTE: In order to examine the effect of leptin on breathing, we infused leptin subcutaneously in lean C57BL/6J mice by an osmotic pump to raise circulating leptin levels to those observed in obese mice.

1. Osmotic pump preparation
   1. Weigh the empty pump to check the net weight of the solu.......

Discussion

The main focus of our study was to examine respiratory effects of leptin signaling in the CB. Several protocols have been developed to assess the role of leptin in a mechanistic fashion. First, specific contribution of CB to the HVR was analyzed by careful quantification of the HVR during the first 2 min of hypoxic exposure. Second, the relevance of CB in leptin-mediated up-regulation of control of breathing was examined by two complementary approaches. In lean wild-type mice with low leptin levels, the HVR was measured .......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1ml Insulin Syringes	BD Biosciences	309311
1x PBS (pH 7.4)	Gibco	10010-023	500 ml
Ad-Lacz	Dr. Christopher Rhodes (University of Chicago)		1x1010 pfu/ml
Ad-LepRb-GFP	Vector Biolabs	ADV-263380	2-5x1010 pfu/ml
Anesthetic cart	Atlantic Biomedical
Betadine	Purdue Products Ltd.	12496-0757-5
Buprenorphine (Buprenex)	Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare Ltd.	12496-0757-5	0.3mg/ml
C57Bl/6J	Jackson laboratory	000664	Mice Strain
Cotton Gauze Sponges	Fisherbrand	22-362-178
db/db	Jackson laboratory	000697	Mice Strain
Ethanol	Pharmco-AAPER	111000200
Isoflurane	Vetone	502017
Lab Chart	Data Science International (DSI)		Software
Matrigel Matrix	BD Biosciences	356234
Micro Spring Scissors	World Precision Instruments (WPI)	14124
Mouse Ox Plus	STARR Life Sciences Corp.		Software
Mouse Ox Plus Collar Sensor	STARR Life Sciences Corp.	015022-2	Medium Collar Clip Special 7”
Mouse Whole Body Plethysmography Chamber	Data Science International (DSI)	PLY3211
Ohio Care Plus Incubator	Ohmeda	HCHD000173
Operating Scissors	World Precision Instruments (WPI)	501753-G	Straight
Osmotic Pump	Alzet	1003D	1ul per hour, 3 days
Phenol	Sigma-Aldrich	P4557
Recombinant Mouse Leptin protein	R&D systems	498-OB-05M	5mg
Saline	RICCA Chemical	7210-16	0.9% Sodium Chloride
Sterile Surgical Suture	DemeTech	DT-639-1	Silk, size 6-0
Thermometer	Innovative Calibration Solutions (INNOCAL)	EW 20250-91