title: Efficient method for obtaining Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)-derived animal models using adipose tissue transplantations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leptin-deficient mice (Lep(ob)/Lep(ob), also known as ob/ob) are of great importance for studies of obesity, diabetes and other correlated pathologies. Thus, generation of animals carrying the Lep(ob) gene mutation as well as additional genomic modifications has been used to associate genes with metabolic diseases. However, the infertility of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) mice impairs this kind of breeding experiment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To propose a new method for production of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) animals and Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)-derived animal models by restoring the fertility of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) mice in a stable way through white adipose tissue transplantations.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this purpose, 1 g of peri-gonadal adipose tissue from lean donors was used in subcutaneous transplantations of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) animals and a crossing strategy was established to generate Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)-derived mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presented method reduced by four times the number of animals used to generate double transgenic models (from about 20 to 5 animals per double mutant produced) and minimized the number of genotyping steps (from 3 to 1 genotyping step, reducing the number of Lep gene genotyping assays from 83 to 6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of the adipose transplantation technique drastically improves both the production of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) animals and the generation of Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)-derived animal models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Haro
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: R F P
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bacurau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Würtele
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Araújo
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D000818:Animals; D020738:Leptin / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008820:Mice, Obese; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D023421:Models, Animal
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin