Neither Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) or STAT5 Signaling Pathways Are Required for Leptin's Effects on Fertility in Mice

The hormone leptin is critical for the regulation of energy balance and fertility. The long-form leptin receptor (LepR) regulates multiple intracellular signaling cascades, including the classic Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways. Previous studies have shown that deletion of STAT3 or the closely related STAT5 from the brain results in an obese phenotype, but their roles in fertility regulation are not clear. This study tested whether STAT3 and STAT5 pathways of leptin signaling are required for fertility, and whether absence of one pathway might be compensated for by the other in a redundant manner. A Cre-loxP approach was used to generate 3 models of male and female transgenic mice with LepR-specific deletion of STAT3, STAT5, or both STAT3 and STAT5. Body weight, puberty onset, estrous cyclicity, and fertility were measured in all knockout (KO) mice and their control littermates. Knocking out STAT3 or both STAT3 and 5 from LepR expressing cells, but not STAT5 alone, led to significant increase in body weight. All STAT3 and STAT5 single KO mice exhibited normal puberty onset and subsequent fertility compared to their control littermates. Surprisingly, all STAT3 and STAT5 double KO mice also exhibited normal puberty onset, estrous cyclicity, and fertility, although they had severely disrupted body weight regulation. These results suggest that, although STAT3 signaling is crucial for body weight regulation, neither STAT3 nor STAT5 is required for the regulation of fertility by leptin. It remains to be determined what other signaling molecules mediate this effect of leptin, and whether they interact in a redundant manner.