China Agricultural University, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing, China
Liye Zhu
China Agricultural University, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing, China
Kunlun Huang
China Agricultural University, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing, China
Haoshu Luo
China Agricultural University, College of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
Wentao Xu
China Agricultural University, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing, China
Xiaoyun He
China Agricultural University, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing, China
Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1) is a component of the MPC1/MPC2 heterodimer that facilitates the transport of pyruvate into mitochondria. Pyruvate plays a central role in carbohydrate, fatty, and amino acid catabolism. The present study examined epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) and intrascapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) from MPC1± mice following 24 weeks of feeding, which indicated low energy accumulation as evidenced by low body and eWAT weight and adipocyte volume. To characterize molecular changes in energy metabolism, we analyzed the transcriptomes of the adipose tissues using RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq). The results showed that the fatty acid oxidation pathway was activated and several genes involved in this pathway were upregulated. Furthermore, qPCR and western blotting indicated that numerous genes and proteins that participate in lipolysis were also upregulated. Based on these findings, we propose that the energy deficiency caused by reduced MPC1 activity can be alleviated by activating the lipolytic pathway.
