Energy balance and lipid metabolism in transgenic mice bearing an antisense GCR gene construct

Energy balance and lipid metabolism were investigated in transgenic mice bearing an antisense glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) gene construct that impairs the normal expression of the GCR gene. Food intake was recorded during the 15 days preceding decapitation of adult normal and transgenic mice, and feces were collected to derive the digestible energy intake. Body composition measurements consisted of the determination of energy, protein, and fat content of the carcass. Carcass energy was determined by bomb calorimetry, whereas carcass protein was measured by the Kjeldahl procedure. Energy expenditure was estimated from the continuous oxygen consumption (VO2) monitoring over a 24-h period. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was quantified in epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT), heart, and vastus lateralis muscle (VLM) by measuring the in vitro hydrolysis of labeled triolein in the presence of tissue homogenates. Norepinephrine (NE) content of both interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) and heart were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Energy intake and expenditure were significantly lower in transgenic mice than in controls. Concurrently, both fat content and total energy of the carcasses were significantly higher in the transgenic animals. In comparison with normal mice, heart and VLM LPL activity was significantly reduced in transgenic mutants. There was no difference between groups in LPL activity in WAT. Finally, heart and BAT NE contents were lower in transgenic animals than in control mice. These results suggest that a defective GCR system may affect energy balance through increasing energetic efficiency, and they emphasize the modulatory effects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis changes on muscle LPL activity.