Cold tolerance, cold-induced hyperphagia, and nonshivering thermogenesis are normal in α₁-AMPK-/- mice.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies indicate that a substantial amount of metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) exists in adult humans. Given the unique ability of BAT to convert calories to heat, there is intense interest in understanding the regulation of BAT metabolism in hopes that its manipulation might be an effective way of expending excess calories. Because of the established role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a "metabolic master switch" and its extremely high levels of activity in BAT, it was hypothesized that AMPK might play a central role in regulating BAT metabolism. To test this hypothesis, whole body α(1)-AMPK(-/-) (knockout) and wild-type mice were studied 1) under control (room temperature) conditions, 2) during chronic cold exposure (14 days at 4°C), and 3) during acute n

SUBMITTER: Bauwens JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3154713 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature