Molecular cloning and tissue distribution of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in plateau pika (Ochotona dauurica).

Naoya Kitao, Takahiro Yahata, Takaaki Matsumoto, Yuko Okamatsu-Ogura, Asako Omachi, Kazuhiro Kimura, Masayuki Saito

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

The Journal of veterinary medical science / the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science 2007 Oct

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Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is present exclusively in brown adipose tissue, and contributes to body temperature control during cold exposure. We cloned UCP1 cDNA of plateau pika (Ochotona dauurica), a small, non-hibernating, diurnal lagomorph that inhabits in relatively cold climates and at high altitudes in Mongolia and in northern China. The nucleotide sequence of pika UCP1 was highly homologous to UCP1 of other species, and the deduced amino acid sequence had some common domains for UCP, including six mitochondrial carrier protein motifs and a putative purine-nucleotide binding site. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed that both UCP1 mRNA and protein were expressed exclusively in the interscapular adipose tissue. These results suggest that pika UCP1 contributes to heat production in brown adipose tissue, as do those in other species.

Citation

Naoya Kitao, Takahiro Yahata, Takaaki Matsumoto, Yuko Okamatsu-Ogura, Asako Omachi, Kazuhiro Kimura, Masayuki Saito. Molecular cloning and tissue distribution of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in plateau pika (Ochotona dauurica). The Journal of veterinary medical science / the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science. 2007 Oct;69(10):1065-8