| First Author | Son C | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Diabetologia | Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 47-54 |
| PubMed ID | 14673524 | Mgi Jnum | J:87953 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3028737 | Doi | 10.1007/s00125-003-1272-8 |
| Citation | Son C, et al. (2004) Reduction of diet-induced obesity in transgenic mice overexpressing uncoupling protein 3 in skeletal muscle. Diabetologia 47(1):47-54 |
| abstractText | AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: It has been suggested that uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) can increase energy expenditure, thereby regulating body weight. Although studies on UCP3 knock-out mice suggest that lack of UCP3 function does not cause obesity or Type 2 diabetes, it is possible that up-regulation of UCP3 function improves these disorders or their clinical sequelae. A 10- to 20-fold increase of UCP3 gene expression is achievable through physiological or pharmacological stimuli. We examined the phenotype of transgenic mice with approximately 18-fold overexpression of mouse UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle. METHODS: We generated transgenic mice with approximately 18-fold overexpression of mouse UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle under control of the skeletal muscle-specific muscle creatine kinase gene promoter. The phenotype of these mice was analysed either on a standard diet or on a 4-week high-fat diet. RESULTS: In mice on standard chow, there was no difference in body weight, oxygen consumption and mitochondrial protonmotive force between transgenic mice and non-transgenic littermates. However, transgenic mice tended to have lower body weight, increased oxygen consumption and decreased mitochondrial protonmotive force than the control mice. Transgenic mice on a 4-week high-fat diet consumed much more oxygen and had noticeably less weight gain and less epididymal fat, as well as better glucose tolerance than non-transgenic littermates. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our study shows that 18-fold overexpression of UCP3 mRNA in the skeletal muscle reduced diet-induced obesity. An 18-fold increase of UCP3 mRNA can be attained by physiological or pharmacological stimuli, suggesting that UCP3 has therapeutic potential in the treatment of obesity. |
