Assessing the Contribution of Liver 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Synthase 2 (HMGCS2) to Dietary Medium-Chain Triglyceride-Induced Ketone Body Production

Author

Kaitlyn A. Zoller, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care, University of Vermont, and The Vermont Lung CenterFollow
Madeleine M. Mank MPH, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care, University of Vermont, and The Vermont Lung CenterFollow
V. Amanda Fastiggi BS, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care, University of Vermont, and The Vermont Lung Center; Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Program, University of VermontFollow
Matthew E. Poynter PhD, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care, University of Vermont, and The Vermont Lung CenterFollow

Date of Completion

2024

Document Type

Honors College Thesis

Department

Department of Medicine

Thesis Type

Honors College

First Advisor

Matthew Poynter

Second Advisor

Robert Hondal

Keywords

Medium Chain Triglycerides, ketone body, liver, asthma, ketogenesis, hmgcs2

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic disorder of the airways characterized by hyperresponsiveness to inhaled triggers that cause the airways to narrow, resulting in difficulty breathing. Ketone bodies, such as b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), decrease this airway response. Ketone body concentrations become elevated via ketogenesis, the process by which fatty acids are metabolized into ketones, occurring principally in the liver through 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (Hmgcs2), the rate-limiting enzyme in the ketogenesis metabolic pathway. To test the importance of liver Hmgcs2 to diet-induced BHB elevations that have been associated with decreased airway responsiveness in asthma, we utilized a mouse model of inducible, liver-specific Hmgcs2 deletion.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Zoller, Kaitlyn A.; Mank, Madeleine M. MPH; Fastiggi, V. Amanda BS; and Poynter, Matthew E. PhD, "Assessing the Contribution of Liver 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Synthase 2 (HMGCS2) to Dietary Medium-Chain Triglyceride-Induced Ketone Body Production" (2024). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 678.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/678