RESUMO
Leptin is a cytokine that regulates food intake, energy expenditure and hematopoiesis. Based on the tridimensional structure of the human leptin molecule, six fragments have been synthesized, (Ac-Lep23-47-NH2, [LEP1]; Ac-Lep48-71-NH2, [LEP2]; Ac-Lep72-88-NH2, [LEP3]; Ac-Lep92-115-NH2, [LEP4], Ac-[Ser(117)]-Lep116-140-NH2, [LEP5] and Ac-Lep141-164-NH2, [LEP6]), and their effects on hematopoiesis were evaluated. The mice were treated with 1mg/kg LEP5 for 3 days. The mature and primitive hematopoietic populations were quantified. We observed that the mature populations from the bone marrow and spleen were not affected by LEP5. However, the peptide caused at least a two-fold increase in the number of hematopoietic stem cells, the most primitive population of the bone marrow. Additionally, the number of granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming units produced by bone marrow cells in methylcellulose also increased by 40% after treatment with LEP5, and the leptin receptor was activated. These results show that the leptin fragment LEP5 is a positive modulator of the in vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells.
Assuntos
Células da Medula Óssea/efeitos dos fármacos , Hematopoese/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Leptina/farmacologia , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/farmacologia , Baço/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Células da Medula Óssea/citologia , Células da Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/citologia , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/metabolismo , Injeções Intraperitoneais , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/síntese química , Receptores para Leptina/agonistas , Receptores para Leptina/genética , Receptores para Leptina/metabolismo , Baço/citologia , Baço/metabolismoRESUMO
In an attempt to identify regions in the leptin molecule responsible for its bioactivity, we tested six related-leptin peptide fragments denoted: Ac-hLEP(23-47)-NH(2) (I), Ac-hLEP(48-71)-NH(2) (II), Ac-hLEP(72-88)-NH(2) (III), Ac-hLEP(92-115)-NH(2) (IV), Ac-[Ser(117)]-hLEP(116-140)-NH(2) (V), Ac-hLEP(141-164)-NH(2) (VI) and their correspondent disulfide bridged dimer forms. The activity of the fragments was evaluated in comparision to leptin, by their ability to interact with leptin receptor using a cytosensor microphysiometer. Our results indicated that the fragments IV and V and [D-Leu(4)]-OB(3) and its human sequence analog were recognized by leptin receptor present in HP-75 cells, in agreement with the results obtained by other workers, validating that this region of the molecule contain the functional epitope of the leptin molecule.
