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Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 294: E817-E826, 2008. First published March 11, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00733.2007
0193-1849/08 $8.00
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Cross-talk between estrogen and leptin signaling in the hypothalamus

Qian Gao1 and Tamas L. Horvath1,2,3

1Section of Comparative Medicine and Departments of 2Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and 3Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Submitted 21 November 2007 ; accepted in final form 3 March 2008

ABSTRACT

Obesity, characterized by enhanced food intake (hyperphagia) and reduced energy expenditure that results in the accumulation of body fat, is a major risk factor for various diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In the United States, more than half of adults are overweight, and this number continues to increase. The adipocyte-secreted hormone leptin and its downstream signaling mediators play crucial roles in the regulation of energy balance. Leptin decreases feeding while increasing energy expenditure and permitting energy-intensive neuroendocrine processes, such as reproduction. Thus, leptin also modulates the neuroendocrine reproductive axis. The gonadal steroid hormone estrogen plays a central role in the regulation of reproduction and also contributes to the regulation of energy balance. Estrogen deficiency promotes feeding and weight gain, and estrogen facilitates, and to some extent mimics, some actions of leptin. In this review, we examine the functions of estrogen and leptin in the brain, with a focus on mechanisms by which leptin and estrogen cooperate in the regulation of energy homeostasis.

obesity; metabolism; signal transducer and activator of transcription 3


Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: Q. Gao, Yale Univ. School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 (e-mail: qian.gao{at}yale.edu)






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