Mice That Overexpress Human UCP-3 Eat More Yet Weigh Less – (08-28-00)

Mice That Overexpress Human UCP-3 Eat More Yet Weigh Less

Uncoupling protein (UCP) is a protein found in humans that essentially burn fat at high rates. In babies and mammals we call tissues with high levels of UCP brown fat. The levels of UCP in a particular patient will undoubtedly be found to be a factor in a patient’s overall weight.

Nature 2000;406:415-418 Transgenic mice that overexpress the human uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3), a close relative to the brown adipose tissue-expressed UCP-1, consume more calories but weigh less than their wild-type littermates. In conclusion, while the findings do not prove that “UCP-3 is involved in the aetiology of obesity,” the results do indicate that alteration of UCP-3 expression may offer a new approach to obesity treatment.