Mammalian hibernation ~ the survival strategy for harsh seasonswith cold and little food by hypometabolism and hypothermia

Mammalian hibernation is a survival strategy in cold environments where little food is available despite the increased energy cost of maintaining body temperature. During hibernation, thermogenesis and heat reflexes are actively suppressed, resulting in a hypometabolic and hypothermic state in which the body temperature is lowered to near the ambient temperature. Among mammals, those that hibernate are called hibernators. Hibernators have many interesting properties that non-hibernators such as humans and rats do not have, such as cold tolerance, season-specific enhancement of lipid metabolisms, resistant to muscle disuse atrophy, and circadian rhythms. Recent studies have revealed that these properties can be divided into two categories: intrinsic and acquired. In this paper, I will explain the basic background of hibernation and introduce our approach using a model hibernator, the Syrian hamster, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of mammalian hibernation.