Choroid plexus epithelial cells co-express the long and short form of the leptin receptor

Two types of leptin receptors (Ob-R) are structurally and functionally characterized. The Ob-Ra, also called short form of leptin receptor, and the Ob-Rb, which is functionally coupled to intracellular signalling pathways. In the CNS, the Ob-Ra is mainly present in the choroid plexus and in the blood–brain barrier and it is involved in leptin transport from the periphery to the brain. The Ob-Rb is widely distributed in the hypothalamus and in many peripheral tissues and is coupled to the JAK/STAT signalling pathway. In this work, we describe the presence of both Ob-Ra and Ob-Rb in a cell line of choroid plexus epithelium. In addition, we demonstrate that Ob-Rb in the choroid plexus is functionally coupled to intracellular signalling pathways as leptin induced the phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transduction 3 (STAT3).