Natural selection and adaptive evolution of leptin |
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Authors: | Guo Zou YaPing Zhang Li Yu |
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Affiliation: | 15635. Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China 35635. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China 25635. Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Diversity and Evolution of High Education in Yunnan Province, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
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Abstract: | Leptin is an adiposity-secreted hormone that is pivotal in regulating feeding behavior, energy metabolism and body mass. The study of leptin has been of crucial importance for public health and pharmaceutical intervention given its role in obesity. Generally, leptin is highly conserved due to its functional importance. However, episodes of rapid sequence evolution and positive selection have been observed in some mammalian species, indicating that the leptin functions in these animals may have undergone adaptive modification to their environments. In this article, we review the adaptive evolution of leptin and its potential functional consequences. This review is expected to guide future research of molecular evolution and functional assays of this gene, and also to provide a theoretical foundation for the use of leptin in therapeutic applications. |
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