JCI – Leptin physiology and pathophysiology: knowns and unknowns 30 years after its discovery
Complete absence of leptin or its inability to signal, caused by loss-of-function mutations of the ligand or its receptor in both rodents and humans, respectively, produces profound obesity. Consistent with classic endocrine logic, leptin replacement reverses obesity due to leptin mutations but does not correct obesity caused by mutations in its receptor. Contrary to the initial idea of leptin…