Gene Network and Adipose Transcriptome Analysis of the Northern Elephant Seal During Prolonged Food Deprivation

• Published in: The FASEB Journal
• Main Authors: Martinez, Bridget, Rutherford, Kim, Crocker, Daniel, Gemmell, Neil, Ortiz, Rudy M
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2017
• Subjects: Elephant Seal
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.883.10

Many animals have been extensively studied for their potential to elucidate cellular pathways that can lead to breakthroughs or progress in the development of therapeutic strategies against human diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The northern elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirostris ) is a natural model for these and other maladies, and its extraordinary physiology has been the subject of substantial examination since their return from the brink of extinction. The most notable contributions have come from the assessment of endocrine changes in peripheral tissues, including adipose and muscle. Yet, the reference sequence for adipose, has not yet been described. Here, we present the first adipose‐derived northern elephant seal transcriptome assembly in response to fasting with RNA from two separate fasting phases. In this de novo assembly, differential expression analysis between fasting periods demonstrated the upregulation of a large number of metabolism‐driving transcripts. This data will provide and serve as a tool in the necessary continuation of future studies elucidating the unique physiology of the northern elephant seal.