| First Author | Vaicik MK | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Endocrinology | PubMed ID | 28973559 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:249897 | Mgi Id | MGI:6100984 |
| Doi | 10.1210/en.2017-00186 | Citation | Vaicik MK, et al. (2018) The Absence of Laminin alpha4 in Male Mice Results in Enhanced Energy Expenditure and Increased Beige Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue. Endocrinology 159(1):356-367 |
| abstractText | Laminin alpha4 (LAMA4) is located in the extracellular basement membrane that surrounds each individual adipocyte. Here we show that LAMA4 null (Lama4-/-) mice exhibit significantly higher energy expenditure (EE) relative to wild-type (WT) mice at room temperature and when exposed to a cold challenge, despite similar levels of food intake and locomotor activity. The Lama4-/- mice are resistant to age- and diet-induced obesity. Expression of uncoupling protein 1 is higher in subcutaneous white adipose tissue of Lama4-/- mice relative to WT animals on either a chow diet or a high-fat diet. In contrast, uncoupling protein 1 expression was not increased in brown adipose tissue. Lama4-/- mice exhibit significantly improved insulin sensitivity compared with WT mice, suggesting improved metabolic function. Overall, these data provide critical evidence for a role of the basement membrane in EE, weight gain, and systemic insulin sensitivity. |
