Biomaterial Database

[Role of brown adipose tissue in the development of genetic obesity in the obese Zucker rat (fa/fa)]. 1985

R Bazin, and D Eteve, and F Dupuy, and M Lavau

The lipogenic capacity and thermogenic activity (assessed by GDP binding to mitochondrial) of brown adipose tissue was studied in lean (Fa/fa) and obese (fa/fa) suckling Zucker rat pups 2 and 10 days old. By 10 days of age, fat deposition, lipogenesis in vivo and fatty acid synthetase activity were 1.5 to 2-fold higher, whereas GDP binding to mitochondria was 40% lower in pre obese than in lean pups. Compared with lean pups, 2-day old fa/fa pups showed a 60% increase in triglyceride accumulation in interscapular brown adipose tissue and a 30% decrease in GDP binding to mitochondria, while no change occurred in fatty acid synthetase activity. These results strongly suggest that an impaired thermogenic activity in the brown adipose tissue of fa/fa pups could play a key role in the development of obesity. However, the concomitant increase in fat content in the brown adipose tissue of 2-day old pre-obese pups raises the question of the causal relationship between these two disorders.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008055	Lipids	A generic term for fats and lipoids, the alcohol-ether-soluble constituents of protoplasm, which are insoluble in water. They comprise the fats, fatty oils, essential oils, waxes, phospholipids, glycolipids, sulfolipids, aminolipids, chromolipids (lipochromes), and fatty acids. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Lipid
D008297	Male		Males
D008928	Mitochondria	Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D009765	Obesity	A status with BODY WEIGHT that is grossly above the recommended standards, usually due to accumulation of excess FATS in the body. The standards may vary with age, sex, genetic or cultural background. In the BODY MASS INDEX, a BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a BMI greater than 40.0 kg/m2 is considered morbidly obese (MORBID OBESITY).
D011924	Rats, Zucker	Two populations of Zucker rats have been cited in research--the "fatty" or obese and the lean. The "fatty" rat (Rattus norvegicus) appeared as a spontaneous mutant. The obese condition appears to be due to a single recessive gene.	Zucker Rat,Zucker Rats,Rat, Zucker
D001833	Body Temperature Regulation	The processes of heating and cooling that an organism uses to control its temperature.	Heat Loss,Thermoregulation,Regulation, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulation, Body,Body Temperature Regulations,Heat Losses,Loss, Heat,Losses, Heat,Regulations, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulations, Body,Thermoregulations
D002001	Adipose Tissue, Brown	A thermogenic form of adipose tissue composed of BROWN ADIPOCYTES. It is found in newborns of many species including humans, and in hibernating mammals. Brown fat is richly vascularized, innervated, and densely packed with MITOCHONDRIA which can generate heat directly from the stored lipids.	Brown Fat,Hibernating Gland,Brown Adipose Tissue,Fat, Brown,Tissue, Brown Adipose
D005260	Female		Females
D006153	Guanosine Diphosphate	A guanine nucleotide containing two phosphate groups esterified to the sugar moiety.	GDP,Guanosine 5'-Diphosphate,Guanosine 5'-Trihydrogen Diphosphate,5'-Diphosphate, Guanosine,5'-Trihydrogen Diphosphate, Guanosine,Diphosphate, Guanosine,Diphosphate, Guanosine 5'-Trihydrogen,Guanosine 5' Diphosphate,Guanosine 5' Trihydrogen Diphosphate
D000375	Aging	The gradual irreversible changes in structure and function of an organism that occur as a result of the passage of time.	Senescence,Aging, Biological,Biological Aging