Leptin as an indicator for carcass composition in farm animals

The function of leptin in livestock species has been intensively studied during recent years. Due to the associations between plasma leptin concentrations and body fat, leptin could be used as an indicator for the in vivo evaluation of carcass composition in breeding programs. This review specifically discusses leptin mRNA expression in several fat tissues, the relationship between plasma leptin and body fat and the influence of fasting on this association. It also refers to the limitations of the use of plasma leptin concentrations as a predictor for selection purposes in breeding animals. Furthermore, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the leptin gene have some effects on carcass traits and the leptin gene is considered to be a candidate gene for a marker-assisted selection. However, these results are very inconsistent across various populations and need to be confirmed in future studies before leptin can be used efficiently in breeding programs and management.