Expression data from the liver of wild-type and Cnot3+/- mice: Fasted

Decay of mRNAs initiates with shortening of the poly(A) tail. Although the CCR4-NOT complex participates in deadenylation, how it becomes activates remain obscure. We show that complete deficiency in CNOT3, subunit 3 of this complex, is lethal in mice, but that heterozygotes survive as lean mice with hepatic and adipose tissues containing reduced lipid levels. Cnot3+/- mice have enhanced metabolic rates and remain lean on high-fat diets. To examine the underlying mechanisms by which CNOT3 is involved in the control of metabolic balance, we compared the gene expression profiles of wild-type and Cnot3+/- mice using Affymetrix microarray technology. We chose to analyze the liver because the CNOT3 level in the liver was affected by the feeding condition and because the liver plays a major role in glucose and lipid metabolism. The livers were isolated from 12-week-old wild-type and Cnot3+/- mice (n = 2 for each genotype).