Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
Published on: November 11, 2021
Metabolic rate depression: the biochemistry of mammalian hibernation
Kenneth B Storey1, Janet M Storey
1Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. kenneth_storey@carleton.ca
Abstract:
During winter hibernation, small mammals fall into long periods of deep cold torpor where metabolic rate is suppressed by > 90% and core body temperature can fall to near 0 degrees C. Studies with hibernators illustrate the molecular regulatory mechanisms that coordinate the suppression of metabolic functions during torpor, reprioritize energy use, and preserve/stabilize macromolecules to support long-term viability during cold torpor. This review explores mechanisms including posttranslational modification of proteins, differential regulation of enzymes, global suppression of transcription and translation including a role for microRNA, torpor-responsive gene expression, signal transduction, and regulation of transcription factors. The molecular basis of natural torpor in hibernating mammals offers models and applications that are relevant to issues in clinical science including hypothermia and ischemia resistance, inducible torpor, organ preservation, and atrophy resistance.
Related Concept Videos
Metabolic Rate
The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) measures the energy expended at rest.
Several factors influence the...
Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation
Metabolic States of the Body: The Postabsorptive State
Initially, glycogen stored in the liver is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream, while glycogen in the muscles is broken down to supply glucose for energy directly within the muscle cells. As glycogen stores diminish,...
Metabolic States of the Body: The Absorptive State
What is Metabolism?
Regulation of Metabolism
