| dc.description.abstract | Both VIP and PACAP deficient mice display impaired fat storage, but only the molecular adipose characteristics of PACAP KO mice are known. While mice deficient in these peptides are lean, supplementation could promote weight gain in livestock after establishing tissue distribution. We investigated both sides of this 'metabolic coin' by measuring serum metabolites, adipocyte area, and pscWAT gene expression in VIP deficient mice and screening 15 ruminant tissues for VIP, PACAP, and their receptors using RT-qPCR. We found male VIP deficient mice displayed hypertrophic adipocytes, low serum FFAs, and suppressed relative mRNA expression of TMEM26. In ruminants, VIP and PACAP showed similar expression patterns, whereas their receptors had divergent tissue distributions. We conclude that VIP deficiency affects the investigated adipose characteristics in male but not female mice. Additionally, we predict that VIP supplementation in ruminants would promote weight gain since its mRNA distribution is similar to mice. | en_US |
