Abstract
Thermogenin is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein which mediates non-shivering thermogenesis in BAT. It has a molecular mass of 32,000 Da and acts by uncoupling mitochondria to produce heat. We report a method of measuring its synthesis. Polysomes were isolated from BAT of developing rabbits and translated in a reticulocyte protein synthesizing system. Newly synthesized thermogenin was isolated with monospecific antibodies. This technique has been applied in developing rabbits to demonstrate a 5-fold increase in thermogenin synthesis before birth, and a gradual decrease after birth.
The technique provides a method to study other perinatal influences on thermogenin synthesis such as the effect of postnatal environmental temperature. In preliminary experiments thermogenin has been purified from human neonatal BAT.
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Arnold, J., Patel, H. & Freeman, K. MEASUREMENT OF THERMOGENIN SYNTHESIS IN BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUE (BAT). Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 134 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00246
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00246