Identification of the critical sequence elements in the cytoplasmic domain of leptin receptor isoforms required for Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription activation by receptor heterodimers.

Two predominant splice variants of the leptin receptor (LEPR) are coexpressed in leptin-responsive tissues: the long form, LEPRb, characterized as the signal-transducing receptor, and the signaling-defective short form, LEPRa. It is unknown whether heterodimers of these isoforms are capable of signal transduction via the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway. To address this question, chimeric receptors were constructed consisting of the transmembrane and intracellular parts of LEPRb and LEPRa fused with the extracellular domains of either the alpha- or beta-subunit of the IL-5 receptor.