Rats lacking Ucp1 present a novel translational tool for the investigation of thermogenic adaptation during cold challenge.

Room temperature presented sufficient cold stress to rats lacking UCP1 to activate compensatory thermogenic mechanisms in skeletal muscle, which were only activated in control rats following exposure to 4°C. These results provide novel insight into thermogenic responses to UCP1 deficiency; and highlight Ucp1 rats as an attractive translational model for the study of thermogenesis.