The ultimate goal of this proposal is to identify the molecular basis underlying preparation for and induction of hibernation in mammals. This initial approach involves identification of hypothalamic genes whose expression is changed in hamsters before vs during a bout of hibernation. This approach is based on the hypothesis that induction of hibernation in mammals results from altered neural/neurosecretory signaling to central and/or peripheral regulators/effectors of thermogenesis and/or heat loss AND that these alterations in signalling reflect altered gene expression. While this hypothesis is reasonable considering the regulatory role played by the hypothalamus and the changes in thermogenic tissues such as brown fat that considerable difficulty in detecting the hibernation process.
