Control of leptin by metabolic state and its regulatory interactions with pituitary growth hormone and hepatic growth hormone receptors and insulin like growth factors in the tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus).

•Feed restriction increases circulating LepA, hepatic lepa, lepr gene expression.•Recombinant tilapia LepA stimulates hepatic IGF-1, -2, and GHR 1, 2 gene expression.•Hypophysectomy increases hepatic lepa mRNA, GH replacement rescues this effect.•Physiological GH dose suppress lepa and lepr mRNA in in primary hepatocytes.•Physiological doses of tilapia LepA suppress pituitary GH mRNA.