Metabolomic and Lipidomic Analysis of the Heart of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-gamma Coactivator 1-beta Knock Out Mice on a High Fat Diet

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivators (PGC-1) are transcriptional coactivators with an important role in mitochondrial biogenesis and regulation of genes involved in the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation in oxidative tissues including cardiac tissue. These coactivators are thought to play a key role in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. In this study we have used a combined metabolomic and lipidomic analysis of cardiac tissue from the PGC-1 beta null mouse to examine the effects of a high fat diet on this organ. Multivariate statistics readily separated tissue from PGC-1 beta null mice from their wild type controls either in gender specific models or in combined datasets. This was associated with an increase in creatine and a decrease in taurine in the null mouse, and an increase in myristic acid and a reduction in long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for both genders. The most profound changes were detected by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of intact lipids with the tissue from the null mouse having a profound increase in a number of triglycerides. The metabolomic and lipodomic changes indicate PGC-1 beta has a profound influence on cardiac metabolism.