Functional Properties of Leptin Receptor Isoforms Internalization and Degradation of Leptin and Ligand-Induced Receptor Downregulation

摘要

Long (ObRb) and short (ObRa) leptin receptor isoforms are thought to play essential roles in mediating leptin sig- naling and the transport and degradation of leptin, respectively. Although the capacity of these cloned receptor species to mediate signal transduction has been reported, there is no information on the ability of individual receptor species to mediate leptin internal- ization and degradation or to undergo ligand-induced downregulation. We therefore studied these parameters in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing either ObRa or ObRb isoforms of the leptin receptor.