The development of diet-induced obesity and associated metabolic impairments in Dj-1 deficient mice

DJ-1 constitutes a ubiquitously expressed, oxidative stress-responsive protein with multiple functions. DJ-1 emerged as a candidate from our previous proteome analysis investigating alterations in the hypothalamus in three mouse strains differing in their susceptibility to diet-induced obesity (DIO). Validation studies demonstrated a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced shift in the DJ-1 isoform pattern in the hypothalamus and several other tissues of mice. Others found HFD-induced alterations in DJ-1 protein abundance in adipose tissue and pancreatic islets in wild-type rodents. Here, we investigated the gene-diet interaction by challenging Dj-1^-/- mice with a HFD. We demonstrate that the development of diet-induced obesity (DIO) Dj-1^-/- mice is according to wild-type mice with the exception of transient higher gains in fat mass at the expense of lean mass after 14 weeks of feeding.