Sequential responses to high-fat feeding in an obese mouse model

We examined the effects of high-fat diet on feeding behaviour, body weight regulation and common biomarkers associated with weight gain in the C57BL/6J mice over a period of 10 weeks, making measurements at weeks 2, 4 and 10. We examined the transcriptomic profile of hepatic genes involved in the major lipid metabolic pathways, validating the key genes with quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and their gene products with western blots. Keywords: Lipogenesis, Hyperphagia, Fat Oxidation, Energy Regulation, Body Weight C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to consume either the control (C) or HFC diet. Body weights and food intake were measured weekly and other measurements at weeks 2, 4 and 10. Microarrays were used to screen the transcriptional response of the livers at the 3 time-points. Genes, encoding enzymes regulating key steps of lipid metabolism, were then selected from the microarray data for validation by qRT-PCR and their protein expression by western blot assays.