Leptin is synthesized in the liver and adipose tissue of the dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Fat is the main source of energy for birds during a long-distance flight. Migration routes are usually divided into several steps. In stopover sites migratory birds restore energy reserves needed for continuation of migration. During a long-distance flight and when foraging at a stopover site birds should be able to assess their actual reserves accumulated in the form of fat stores. The information about energy being stored in body reserves may be provided by circulating factors involved in body mass regulation, such as adipose-derived hormone leptin. To date, little is known about the expression and potential role of leptin in birds. The aim of the present study was to determine whether leptin is synthesized in the liver and adipose tissue of the dunlin (Calidris alpina), a long-distance migrant. Western blot analysis with leptin-specific antibody detected a protein with a molecular mass of approximately 15–16 kDa in dunlin liver and adipose tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating leptin expression in the liver and adipose tissue of a migratory bird. This finding raises the possibility that in birds leptin may signal the status of energy reserves during migratory flight.