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Blubber Thickening Driven by UCP1 Inactivation: Insights from a Cetacean-Like Transgenic Mouse Model
Qian Zhang1, Yuehua Wang1, Hang Zhang1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Utilization in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Integrative Zoology
|December 8, 2025
Summary
Cetacean blubber evolved through relaxed uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) function. This genetic change in marine mammals led to obesity, altered metabolism, and gut microbiome shifts, explaining fat accumulation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular biology
- Marine mammal physiology
Background:
- Cetaceans have thick blubber crucial for aquatic life.
- The genetic and molecular basis for blubber development is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in cetacean blubber adaptation.
- Determine the molecular mechanisms behind fat accumulation in marine mammals.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed cetacean UCP1 evolutionary changes.
- Created a transgenic mouse model with inactivated cetacean-like UCP1.
- Conducted histological, metabolic, and gut microbiome analyses.
- Compared findings with traditional UCP1 knockout mice.
Main Results:
- Cetacean UCP1 shows evolutionary relaxation.
- Transgenic mice exhibited obesity, expanded brown adipose tissue (BAT), and increased white adipose tissue (WAT) adipocyte hyperplasia.
- Observed reduced lipolysis, impaired glucose metabolism, and altered lipid metabolism in BAT.
- Detected an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the gut microbiome, indicating enhanced energy absorption.
Conclusions:
- Relaxed UCP1 function is a key molecular mechanism for cetacean blubber thickening.
- These findings offer insights into the evolutionary adaptation of marine mammals to aquatic environments.
