Improved metabolic phenotype of hypothalamic PTP1B-deficiency is dependent upon the leptin receptor

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a known regulator of central metabolic signaling, and mice with whole brain-, leptin receptor (LepRb) expressing cell-, or proopiomelanocortin neuron-specific PTP1B-deficiency are lean, leptin hypersensitive, and display improved glucose homeostasis. However, whether the metabolic effects of central PTP1B-deficiency are due to action within the hypothalamus remains unclear. Moreover, whether or not these effects are exclusively due to enhanced leptin signaling is unknown. Here we report that mice with hypothalamic PTP1B-deficiency (Nkx2.1-PTP1B–/–) display decreased body weight and adiposity on high-fat diet with no associated improvements in glucose tolerance. Consistent with previous reports, we find that hypothalamic deletion of the LepRb in mice (Nkx2.1-LepRb–/–) results in extreme hyperphagia and obesity. Interestingly, deletion of hypothalamic PTP1B and LepRb (Nkx2.1-PTP1B–/–:LepRb–/–) does not rescue the hyperphagia or obesity of Nkx2.1-LepRb–/– mice, suggesting that hypothalamic PTP1B contributes to the central control of energy balance through a leptin receptor-dependent pathway.