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Divergent Physical Activity and Novel Alternative Responses to High Fat Feeding in Polygenic Fat and Lean Mice

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Abstract

We determined whether altered physical activity levels might underlie the contrasting adiposity of a divergently selected polygenic murine model of metabolic syndrome (Fat; F) and leanness (Lean; L) mice. We measured physical activity with a long term running wheel experiment and performed an additional high fat diet intervention. Further, we measured posture allocation by visual monitoring within the home cage as a non-exercise correlate of ‘normal’ physical activity. Whilst initially similar, running wheel activity of the F line declined with age, while the activity of the L line increased. Food intake was higher in the L line and increased with wheel exposure. Vertical rearing measured by video quantification in the home cage, without the stimulus of a running wheel was also significantly higher in the L line. The two lines developed novel alternate strategies to defend their body weight when exposed to high fat diets with a running wheel. F mice increased their running wheel activity, and despite unaltered food intake, still gained weight. L mice reduced their food intake and maintained activity levels without a significant change in body weight. Phenotypic selection for divergence in body fat content has co-segregated with a genetic predisposition for divergent physical activity levels and different strategies for coping with exposure to high fat diets that will facilitate the discovery of the genes underlying these important obesity related traits.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge support from the Slovenian Ministries (MVZT, MZ; young researcher programme), Agency ARRS (CRP V3-0365) and the ACERO Marie Curie Training site (Obeschool). We are grateful to the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) for funding parts of this research. We thank John Verth, Moira Stewart and William Mungall from the mouse facilities at the University of Edinburgh for their help maintaining the selection lines and for animal husbandry. We also thank Gregor Gorjanc, Andrej Razpet, Paula Redman, Ela Krol and Tom Edie for their suggestions and help. Animals at the University of Aberdeen were maintained by the animal house staff at the School of Biological Sciences to whom we are grateful. NMM is funded by a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship. CJK is an MRC (UK) Senior Fellow. MH is funded by the Wellcome Trust, PS by a College Studentship (University of Edinburgh) and JRS by a Lloyds TSB senior research fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnical Faculty, Zootechnical Department, University of Ljubljana, 1230, Domzale, Slovenia

    Matjaž Simončič & Simon Horvat

  2. Aberdeen Centre for Energy Regulation and Obesity (ACERO), School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, Scotland, UK

    Matjaž Simončič & John R. Speakman

  3. Endocrinology Unit, Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queens Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK

    Paula L. Stevenson, Megan C. Holmes, Christopher J. Kenyon & Nicholas M. Morton

  4. Animal Breeding and Development Team, Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, SAC, S.S.W.-Building, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PH, UK

    Lutz Bünger

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  1. Matjaž Simončič
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  2. Simon Horvat
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Correspondence to Nicholas M. Morton.

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Edited by Stephen Maxson.

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Simončič, M., Horvat, S., Stevenson, P.L. et al. Divergent Physical Activity and Novel Alternative Responses to High Fat Feeding in Polygenic Fat and Lean Mice. Behav Genet 38, 292–300 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-008-9199-y

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