Partial cloning and localization of leptin and leptin receptor in the mammary gland of the Egyptian water buffalo.

Originally an overall metabolic control was attributed to the leptin hormone, which is produced mainly by the adipose tissue. Recently, leptin gene expression was demonstrated in several additional peripheral tissues. Furthermore, several isoforms of leptin receptor were found both in the central nervous system and in the peripheral tissues. Using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction analysis we demonstrate that leptin is expressed both in the adipose tissue and in the lactating mammary gland tissue of Egyptian water buffalo. Our results show that, short and long isoforms of leptin receptor are expressed in buffalo mammary gland tissue. We have partially cloned the buffalo leptin and its short and long isoforms of receptor, which show a high sequence homology to previously published sequences of other mammalian species especially to that of other ruminants. Localization of leptin and its receptor mRNA transcripts, as determined by in situ hybridization procedure, revealed that leptin and its receptor transcripts are expressed specifically in the alveolar epithelial cells of the mammary gland. These morphological data support that leptin could also act as an autocrine and paracrine mediator for mammary gland metabolism and as a facilitator of alveolar epithelial cell activity during lactation.