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Effects of glucose, insulin and triiodothyroxine on leptin and leptin receptor expression and the effects of leptin on activities of enzymes related to glucose metabolism in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) hepatocytes

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Abstract

Leptin is an important regulator of appetite and energy expenditure in mammals, but its role in fish metabolism control is poorly understood. Our previous studies demonstrated that leptin has an effect on the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure as well as lipid metabolism (stimulation of lipolysis and inhibition of adipogenesis) in the grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella. To further investigate the role of leptin in fish, the effects of glucose, insulin and triiodothyroxine (T3) on the expression levels of leptin and leptin receptor (Lepr) and the effects of leptin on the activities of critical glucose metabolism enzymes in grass carp hepatocytes were evaluated in the present study. Our data indicated that leptin gene expression was induced by glucose in a dose-dependent manner, while Lepr gene expression exhibited a biphasic change. A high dose of insulin (100 ng/mL) significantly up-regulated the expression of leptin and Lepr. Leptin expression was markedly up-regulated by a low concentration of T3 but inhibited by a high concentration of T3. T3 up-regulated Lepr expression in a dose-dependent manner. Together, these data suggest that leptin had a close relationship with three factors (glucose, insulin and T3) and might participate in the regulation of glucose metabolism in grass carp. In addition, we also found that leptin affected the activities of key enzymes that are involved in glucose metabolism, which might be mediated by insulin receptor substrate-phosphoinositol 3-kinase signaling.

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Abbreviations

G6Pase:

Glucose 6-phosphatase

G6PD:

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

GK:

Glucokinase

IRS-PI3K:

Insulin receptor substrate-phosphatidylinositol-3-OH-kinase

JAK-STAT:

Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription

Lepr:

Leptin receptor

LPL:

Lipoprotein lipase

ME:

Malic enzyme

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

PEPCK:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

PK:

Pyruvate kinase

SCD1a:

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1a

T3:

Triiodothyroxine

UCP2:

Uncoupling protein 2

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31172420, 31072219, 31402311), the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138601), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (52201-12971, 2013M531708). We thank Dr. Ya-Xiong Tao (Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA) for extensive editing of the manuscript.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Freshwater Aquaculture Collaborative Innovation Center of Hubei Province, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, China

      Rong-Hua Lu, Yi Zhou, Xiao-Chen Yuan, Xu-Fang Liang, Liu Fang, Xiao-Li Bai, Min Wang & Yu-Hua Zhao

    2. College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, Henan, China

      Rong-Hua Lu

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    1. Rong-Hua Lu
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    Correspondence to Xu-Fang Liang.

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    Yi Zhou and Rong-Hua Lu contributed equally to this work.

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    Lu, RH., Zhou, Y., Yuan, XC. et al. Effects of glucose, insulin and triiodothyroxine on leptin and leptin receptor expression and the effects of leptin on activities of enzymes related to glucose metabolism in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) hepatocytes. Fish Physiol Biochem 41, 981–989 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-015-0063-8

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