title: Impaired thermoregulatory ability of oxytocin-deficient mice during cold-exposure.
abstract: We analyzed temperature homeostasis in oxytocin-deficient (Oxt(-/-)) mice and found that Oxt(-/-) mice exhibited lower body temperatures than wild-type animals when they were exposed to cold. Oxt(-/-) mice also showed slightly more weight gain, but there were no obvious differences in the morphology of white and brown adipose tissues as between wild-type and Oxt(-/-) mice. In cold-exposed conditions, oxytocin neurons containing c-Fos immunoreactivity existed in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. These results suggest that the central oxytocin neurons constitute part of the thermoregulatory system involved in maintaining body temperature in cold environments.
authors: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Kasahara
authors: Yuki
authors: Y
authors: Takayanagi
authors: Teruo
authors: T
authors: Kawada
authors: Keiichi
authors: K
authors: Itoi
authors: Katsuhiko
authors: K
authors: Nishimori
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000502:physiology; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003080:Cold Temperature; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D010121:Oxytocin