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Mice lacking brain-type creatine kinase activity show defective thermoregulation
Femke Streijger1, Helma Pluk, Frank Oerlemans
1Department of Cell Biology, NCMLS, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. streijger@icord.org
Physiology & Behavior
|May 8, 2009
Summary
Creatine kinase (CK) is vital for energy balance in brain and muscle. Mice lacking CK show impaired body temperature regulation and energy metabolism, suggesting inefficient neuronal transmission as the cause.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Cytosolic brain-type creatine kinase (CK-B) and mitochondrial ubiquitous creatine kinase (UbCKmit) are crucial for cellular energy homeostasis in neural and smooth muscle tissues.
- These creatine kinase (CK) isoforms play a significant role in maintaining energy balance throughout mammalian life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of creatine kinase (CK) in body temperature rhythm and adaptive thermoregulation.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of thermoregulatory defects in mice lacking CK isoforms.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of CK knockout (CK-/-) mice and wildtype controls.
- Monitoring body temperature, assessing non-shivering thermogenesis during cold exposure, and evaluating fat metabolism.
- Physiological testing including noradrenaline infusion and analysis of locomotion, food intake, and torpor sensitivity.
Main Results:
- CK-/- mice exhibited a reproducible drop in body temperature during their inactive period and impaired thermogenesis during cold exposure.
- Reduced weight gain, decreased white and brown fat accumulation, and smaller brown adipocytes were observed in CK-/- mice.
- Despite altered metabolic parameters, brown adipocyte responsiveness to noradrenaline remained normal, and thermoregulatory issues were not linked to altered rhythmicity, locomotion, food intake, or torpor.
Conclusions:
- Absence of brain-type CK isoforms leads to significant thermoregulatory deficits in mice.
- Inefficient neuronal transmission is identified as the primary factor contributing to the observed thermoregulatory defects.
- CK plays a critical role in maintaining body temperature homeostasis, particularly in neural functions.
