Mice overexpressing human uncoupling protein-3 in skeletal muscle are hyperphagic and lean
Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3) is a recently identified member of the mitochondrial transporter superfamily 1 , 2 that is expressed predominantly in skeletal muscle 1 , 2 . However, its close relative UCP-1 is expressed exclusively in brown adipose tissue, a tissue whose main function is fat combustio...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | Nature (London) 2000-07, Vol.406 (6794), p.415-418 |
---|---|
Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3) is a recently identified member of the mitochondrial transporter superfamily
1
,
2
that is expressed predominantly in skeletal muscle
1
,
2
. However, its close relative UCP-1 is expressed exclusively in brown adipose tissue, a tissue whose main function is fat combustion and thermogenesis. Studies on the expression of UCP-3 in animals and humans in different physiological situations support a role for UCP-3 in energy balance and lipid metabolism
3
,
4
. However, direct evidence for these roles is lacking. Here we describe the creation of transgenic mice that overexpress human UCP-3 in skeletal muscle. These mice are hyperphagic but weigh less than their wild-type littermates. Magnetic resonance imaging shows a striking reduction in adipose tissue mass. The mice also exhibit lower fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels and an increased glucose clearance rate. This provides evidence that skeletal muscle UCP-3 has the potential to influence metabolic rate and glucose homeostasis in the whole animal. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0028-0836 1476-4687 |
DOI: | 10.1038/35019082 |