Leptin is a hormone that is secreted by adipose cells in proportion to adipose mass, and therefore a low leptin level signifies depletion of energy stores. It has been proposed that leptin is one of the signals controlling sexual maturation. For example, humans and rodents lacking leptin fail to undergo complete puberty, while overexpression of leptin in mice causes early puberty. The placenta also produces leptin in human pregnancy, increasing the amount in the maternal circulation. The effects of the increased leptin levels during pregnancy are not clear. In contrast, the mouse placenta does not produce endocrinologically significant amounts of leptin. The mouse placenta does secrete a leptin-binding protein, the production of which correlates with a large increase in maternal leptin levels. The physiology of leptin during pregnancy and fetal development differs significantly between species, and is not well understood in any.
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Conference Article|
May 01 2001
Leptin and its role in pregnancy and fetal development — an overview
M. L. Reitman;
M. L. Reitman
1
1Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Building 10, Room 8N-250, Bethesda, MD 20892-1770, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail marc.reitman@nih.gov)
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S. Bi;
S. Bi
1Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Building 10, Room 8N-250, Bethesda, MD 20892-1770, U.S.A.
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B. Marcus-Samuels;
B. Marcus-Samuels
1Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Building 10, Room 8N-250, Bethesda, MD 20892-1770, U.S.A.
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O. Gavrilova
O. Gavrilova
1Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Building 10, Room 8N-250, Bethesda, MD 20892-1770, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
December 18 2000
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2001 Biochemical Society
2001
Biochem Soc Trans (2001) 29 (2): 68–72.
Article history
Received:
December 18 2000
Citation
M. L. Reitman, S. Bi, B. Marcus-Samuels, O. Gavrilova; Leptin and its role in pregnancy and fetal development — an overview. Biochem Soc Trans 1 May 2001; 29 (2): 68–72. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bst0290068
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