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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Livestock Bio-Systems » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #169646
Title: GENE EXPRESSION IN HYPOTHALAMUS AND BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUE OF MICE DIVERGENTLY SELECTED FOR HEAT LOSS

Author
item Allan, Mark
item NIELSEN, M - UNIV NEBRASKA, LINCOLN
item POMP, DANIEL - UNIV NEBRASKA, LINCOLN

Submitted to: Physiological Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/27/2000
Publication Date: 9/1/2000
Citation: Allan, M.F., Nielsen, M.K., Pomp, D. 2000. Gene expression in hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue of mice divergently selected for heat loss. Physiological Genomics. 3(3):149-156.

Interpretive Summary: Gene expression was evaluated in mice divergently selected for 16 generations for heat loss, measured by direct calorimetry. The high (MH) heat loss line has approximately 50% greater heat loss, approximately 35% less body fat, approximately 20% greater feed intake, and twofold greater activity levels than the low (ML) heat loss line. At 11 weeks, males were euthanized 3 hour after dark for dissection of tissues and extraction of gene message. Gene expression differences were evaluated between lines in hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Two genes were confirmed to have greater levels of gene message present in ML relative to MH mice. In both hypothalamus and BAT, the ribosomal protein L3 (RPL3) gene was expressed at higher levels in ML. These results implicate RPL3 in regulation of energy balance and extend the genetic dissection of response to selection to the gene message level.

Technical Abstract: Gene expression was evaluated in mice divergently selected for 16 generations for heat loss, measured by direct calorimetry. The high (MH) heat loss line has approximately 50% greater heat loss, approximately 35% less body fat, approximately 20% greater feed intake, and twofold greater activity levels than the low (ML) heat loss line. At 11 wk, inbred males (developed from MH and ML) were euthanized 3 h after dark for dissection of tissues and extraction of RNA. Differential display PCR (DD-PCR) was used to evaluate transcriptional differences between lines in hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Evaluation was replicated within and across lines, using family pools of mRNA. Two genes were confirmed by competitive RT-PCR and/or Northern analysis to have greater levels of mRNA present in ML relative to MH mice. In both hypothalamus and BAT, the ribosomal protein L3 (RPL3) gene was expressed at higher levels in ML, whereas an unknown expressed sequence tag (EST) was also found at higher levels in the hypothalamus of ML mice. These results implicate RPL3 in regulation of energy balance and extend the genetic dissection of response to selection to the transcriptional level.