Description: This FlowCytomix Simplex Kit is designed for the measurement of Human Leptin in an immunoassay analyzed on a flow cytometer. Together with the FlowCytomix Human Basic Kit (cat. BMS8420FF), this kit can be used to detect Leptin alone or can be multiplexed with other Simplex Kits to measure a variety of analytes.
This kit contains bead population B10.
Leptin is a 16 kDa protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including the regulation (decrease) of appetite and (increase) of metabolism. The Ob(Lep) gene (Ob for obese and Lep for leptin) is located on chromosome 7 in humans. Leptin binds to the Ventral Medial nucleus of the hypothalamus, known as the satiety center. Binding of leptin to this nucleus signals to the brain that the body has had enough to eat. Thus, circulating leptin levels give the brain a reading of energy storage for the purposes of regulating appetite and metabolism. Leptin works by inhibiting the activity of neurons that contain neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP), and by increasing the activity of neurons expressing alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). The NPY neurons are a key element in the regulation of appetite; small doses of NPY injected into the brains of experimental animals stimulates feeding, while selective destruction of the NPY neurons in mice causes them to become anorexic. Conversely, alpha-MSH is an important mediator of satiety, and differences in the gene for the receptor at which alpha-MSH acts in the brain are linked to obesity in humans.
