Case Western Reserve University researchers announced today that a new breed of mighty mouse has been found to be metabolically superior to wild mice of the same breed. University researchers made the discovery while researching the role of PEPCK-C enzyme in skeletal muscle.
The mighty mouse breed at the university is able to run five or six kilometers at a speed of 20 meters per minute on a treadmill for up to six hours non-stop. These rodents were genetically modified to have higher than normal levels of a gene responsible for production of the enzyme phosphoenolypyruvate carboxykinases (PEPCK-C).
Mighty Mouse and Normal Mouse on Treadmill (Source: Case Western Reserve University)
Richard W. Hanson, Professor of Biochemistry at the university said, “[The mice] are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees; they utilize mainly fatty acids for energy and produce very little lactic acid.” Researchers have also noted that these genetically modified mice eat 60% more than other mice of the same breed, yet stay slimmer.
The mice have also been noted to be more aggressive than non-enhanced mice of the same breed.
Hanson also told BBC News that, “The muscles of these mice have many more mitochondria. These are the little 'engines' in the cell that produce energy. For some reason, the number of mitochondria are around 10 times more than we see in the muscle of their littermates."
The mighty mouse breed at the university is able to run five or six kilometers at a speed of 20 meters per minute on a treadmill for up to six hours non-stop. These rodents were genetically modified to have higher than normal levels of a gene responsible for production of the enzyme phosphoenolypyruvate carboxykinases (PEPCK-C).
Richard W. Hanson, Professor of Biochemistry at the university said, “[The mice] are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees; they utilize mainly fatty acids for energy and produce very little lactic acid.” Researchers have also noted that these genetically modified mice eat 60% more than other mice of the same breed, yet stay slimmer.
The mice have also been noted to be more aggressive than non-enhanced mice of the same breed.
Hanson also told BBC News that, “The muscles of these mice have many more mitochondria. These are the little 'engines' in the cell that produce energy. For some reason, the number of mitochondria are around 10 times more than we see in the muscle of their littermates."
