Differential Regulation of Metabolism Based on Different Physiological Cues
Focus:
The central theme of this module is how physiology and biochemistry are interrelated at the organismal level, and to think about the biochemical bases for differential regulation of metabolism based on different physiological cues. The module begins by discussing how expectations of the caloric content of food can greatly influence metabolism in the organism, leading to surprising changes in the utilization of nutrients, at least in rats. The class can then explore the possible biochemical mechanisms by which an organism can change the way it uses nutrients in the diet. Students can then consider whether rat metabolism is the same as human metabolism, and the challenges in
extending this study into humans.
Overview:
Applicable for Courses:
BiochmistryEducational Level:
Variety of levelsRoadmap Objectives:
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- Article: Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;;122(1):161-73. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.122.1.161. PubMed PMID: 18298259.
- Content area/major concepts: Biochemical pathways that use carbohydrates, utilization and storage of glucose, hormonal signaling that regulates these pathways
- Methods or technology used to obtain data: Rat feeding protocols (how to get rats to eat certain foods?), measurement of body fat, lean body mass, amount of food eaten, activity levels, and body temperature
- How the CREATE strategy was used:
- Biggest teaching challenge: Figuring out the experimental feeding protocols, use of statistics
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- Article: Sullivan MJ, Scott RL. Postprandial glycemic response to orange juice and nondiet cola: is there a difference? Diabetes Educ. 1991 Jul-Aug;;17(4):274-8. PubMed PMID: 2049981.
- Content area/major concepts: Biochemical pathways that use carbohydrates, utilization and storage of glucose, insulin signaling, insulin-dependent VS independent diabetes, use of diet to control blood glucose levels, biochemical basis for phenotypes seen due to excess blood glucose
- Methods or technology used to obtain data: Human feeding protocols, measurement of human height, weight, Hemoglobin-A, serum glucose levels
- How the CREATE strategy was used:
- Biggest teaching challenge: Figuring out the experimental feeding protocols, use of statistics, nexus between insulin signaling and diabetes
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- Article: Nettleton JA, Lutsey PL, Wang Y, Lima JA, Michos ED, Jacobs DR Jr. Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Diabetes Care. 2009 Apr;;32(4):688-94. doi: 10.2337/dc08-1799. Epub 2009 Jan 16. PubMed PMID:19151203.
- Content area/major concepts: Interplay of various components of food, biochemistry of utilization of nutrients, hormonal signaling that could change utilization patterns, designing large scale human experiments, using data from a single study for multiple reasons
- Methods or technology used to obtain data: Questionnaires to assess diet, diagnosis of diabetes, diagnosis of Metabolic syndrome, and measurement of human waist circumference, cholesterol, triglycerides
- How the CREATE strategy was used:
- Biggest teaching challenge: Statistics, teasing out cause VS effect from large human studies, correlation VS causation