Abstract #0474

Laurent D, Yerby B, Gounarides J, Sari-Sarraf F, Hirsch E, Daniels T, Rangwala S, Wang X, Wade S

In-vivo MRI and localized 1H-MRS were used to monitor ectopic fat storage induced by high-fat feeding in estrogen-related receptor &[alpha] (ERR&[alpha]) deficient mice. After 2 months on the diet, intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) in the tibialis anterior muscle of wild-type mice increased by ~3-fold while virtually no change was detected in ERR&[alpha] knockout mice. In contrast to the expected phenotype, ERR&[alpha] knockout mice also displayed a ~5-fold increase in intrahepatic lipid contents and levels of visceral adiposity similar to wild-type mice, suggesting normal lipid absorption.