| Abstract |
Nearly 40% of Americans are obese and this can be countered by increasing calories burned. Muscle thermogenesis is a possible untapped source for increasing energy expenditure. Elevating thermogenesis increases energy expenditure and is linked to weight loss. Our research program has shown that exposing rats to predator odor (PO) induces a rapid and robust increase in muscle thermogenesis that peaks by 30 min and settles to near baseline after 4 hours. We hypothesize that this is mediated in the brain by the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) because of the importance of the VMH in regulating body weight, muscle metabolism, sympathetic nervous system activity, and the behavioral response to predator threat. We investigated possible PO-induced changes in the VMH by exposing rats to predator odor for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Tissue samples were taken from the VMH, and mRNA expression was measured using qPCR, showing an increase in Sirt 1 and Bdnf, but not SF1, after 4 hours of PO exposure. RNA-sequencing analyses identified 164 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 65 enriched gene ontology terms, and 28 genome pathways revealing themes of immune response, oxidative stress, and synaptic plasticity. This allowed us to conclude that PO exposure causes upregulation of novel genes pathways.
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| Modified Abstract |
Muscle thermogenesis is a possible untapped source for increasing energy expenditure to counter obesity. Our research program has shown that exposing rats to predator odor (PO) induces a rapid and robust increase in muscle thermogenesis that peaks by 30 min and settles to near baseline after 4 hours. Previous studies have shown that the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) regulates body weight, muscle metabolism, sympathetic nervous system activity, and the behavioral response to predator threat. We investigated possible PO-induced changes in the VMH by exposing rats to predator odor for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Tissue samples were taken from the VMH, and mRNA expression was measured using qPCR, showing an increase in Sirt 1 and Bdnf, but not SF1, after 4 hours of PO exposure. RNA-sequencing revealed themes of immune response, oxidative stress, and synaptic plasticity allowing us to conclude that PO exposure causes upregulation of novel genes pathways.
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