EXPRESSION OF SPECIFIC WHITE ADIPOSE-TISSUE GENES IN DENERVATION-INDUCED SKELETAL-MUSCLE FATTY DEGENERATION

Denervation of skeletal muscle results in rapid atrophy with loss of c ontractile mass and/or progressive degeneration of muscle fibers which are replaced to a greater or lesser degree by connective and fatty ti ssues. In this study, we show that denervated rabbit muscles are trans formed into a white adipose tissue, depending on their fiber types. Th is tissue does express LPL, G3PDH and particularly the ob gene, a whit e adipose tissue-specific marker, and does not express the brown adipo se tissue molecular marker UCP1 mRNA. (C) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.