The Recruitment of Brown Adipose Tissue and Expression of Uncoupling Protein Gene in Brandt's Vole during Cold Exposure

Brandts voles (Microtus brandti) were randomly divided into seven groups and exposed to cold temperature［12L∶12D,(4±2)℃］ for 12 hours,1,3 ,7,14,21 and 28 days respectively;the control group was kept in warm place ［12L∶12D,(25±2)℃］.Compared with the control,the weight of BAT and the total contents of DNA in BAT decreased during cold exposure from 12 hours to 3 days,but increased significantly from 7 to 28 days.Cold exposure also induced the increase of protein contents of BAT.In molecular level,the contents of UCP mRNA in BAT increased significantly and reached peak at 21 days.The results suggested that cold exposure could induce the recruitment of BAT cell and the expression of UCP gene,resulting in the increase of adaptive thermogenesis in Brandts voles.