Expression of leptin receptor mRNA (long form splice variant) in the human cerebellum

Primers specific to the long isoform of leptin receptor (OB-Rb) mRNA were used in reverse transcriptase-linked polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) to investigate the expression of this receptor in the hypothalamus and cerebellum of human and rat. For both regions, we observed RT-PCR cDNAs as well as restriction enzyme cleavage fragments of expected sizes. Additionally, in situ hybridization of human cerebellum using two independent [35S]oligonucleotide probes complementary to the OB-Rb mRNA sequence revealed a prominent hybridization signal within the granular layer. Overall, our findings demonstrate the expression of OB-Rb mRNA in the cerebellum and suggest that in such a location, leptin receptors may mediate a function presumably not linked to body weight homeostasis.