Spiegelman1,2,4 1danafarber cancer institute, 2department of cell biology, harvard medical school, boston, massachusetts 02115, usa. Thermogenesis is regulated by many factors, including lipid derived paracrine and endocrine hormones called lipokines. While brown fat was first noted for its ability to protect animals from hypothermia smith and horwitz 1969, the last 20 years have seen the antiobesitydiabetes role of brown fat become clear. Brown adipocytes used to be considered relevant merely in new born humans, but recent data have challenged that view 1921,25,3946. Stressinduced activation of brown adipose tissue prevents. This pathway is downregulated under conditions of low adaptive thermogenesis requirements, is induced by stress, and elicits activation of ucp1 in wt and.
In addition to classical brown adipose tissue, the last few years have seen great advances in our understanding of inducible thermogenic adipose tissue, also referred to as beige fat. Morphogenetics in brown, beige and white fat development. D2 was found to be an essential component of the thyroidsympathetic synergism and adaptive thermogenesis. Parkin controls brown adipose tissue plasticity in. The presence of ucp1 and increased mitochondrial activity in beige adipocytes. Brown and beige fat function has important implications for metabolic physiology and the treatment of metabolic disorders. The recent discovery of brown and beige adipocytes in adult humans has sparked the exploration of the development, regulation, and function of these thermogenic adipocytes. More interestingly, trpv2ko interscapular bat ibat showed impaired adaptive thermogenesis upon cold exposure and administration of a b3adrenergic receptor agonist. These cells are known as brite for browninwhite or beige adipocytes.
Zbtb7b engages the long noncoding rna blnc1 to drive brown. Sympathetic inputs regulate adaptive thermogenesis in. In addition to typical brown adipocytes, a browning program has been confirmed that includes the presence of brown like adipocytes in wat pools that respond to specific stimuli and. However, whether iron affects the thermogenic properties of adipocytes is currently unknown. The type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase is essential for adaptive thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue lucia a. A role of transferrin receptor 1 tfr1 in brown beige adipocytes is reported. In response to cold exposure or genetic modifications, mouse white adipocytes can be induced to exhibit brown adipocyte like character. One of the most promising areas in the therapeutics for metabolic diseases centers around activation of the pathways of energy expenditure. Earlier physiological studies had shown that caloric excess itself can stimulate brown adipose expansion and thermogenesis as an. The gut microbiota affects ucp1dependent thermogenesis of brown and beige adipocytes in mice the gut microbiota may interfere with our energy metabolism at different levels. The adipose organ of obesityprone c57bl6j mice is composed of mixed white and brown adipocytes. To define the physiological role of d2 in adaptive thermogenesis and function of brown adipocytes, mice with targeted disruption of the dio2 gene 22 were studied. Iron homeostasis is essential for maintaining cellular function in a wide range of cell types. Vitali a, murano i, zingaretti mc, frontini a, ricquier d, cinti s.
Factors that are known to increase browning in mouse wat. Wat browning, transdifferentiation from white adipocytes to beige adipocytes. Brown and beige adipocytes are mainly responsible for nonshivering thermogenesis or heat production, despite the fact that they have distinguished features in distribution, developmental origin, and functional activation. Ribeiro, 2 mark schneider, 3 sungwoo kim, 1 john w. Foxp1 controls brownbeige adipocyte differentiation and. The camp production in brown adipocytes is required for coldinduced adaptive thermogenesis. Until recently, the physiologic role of bat and beige. New findings in mice provide evidence of the impact of gut microbiota on brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissue beiging, opening a potential target for obesity.
Phytochemicals as potential candidates to combat obesity. Fatty acid metabolism and the basis of brown adipose. Jci the type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase is essential for. While brown adipocytes have been relatively well studied, the study of beige adipocytes has only recently become an area of considerable exploration. New evidence suggests two types of thermogenic adipocytes with distinct developmental and anatomical features. Brown and beige adipocytes can catabolize stored energy to generate heat, and this distinct capacity for thermogenesis could be leveraged as a therapy for metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. This process occurs primarily in brown and beige adipose tissue. The presence of ucp1 and increased mitochondrial activity in beige adipocytes has suggested enhanced browning. How transcription factors interface with long noncoding rnas lncrnas, an emerging class of regulatory factors, to drive development and thermogenesis of brown beige fat remains essentially unknown.
Importantly, this purinergic pathway is conserved in human bat. This unique ability is enabled by the specific presence of uncoupling protein 63 1 ucp1 in mitochondria. Brown adipose tissue bat is specialized for energy expenditure, a process called adaptive thermogenesis. As a nutrient sensor and critical regulator of energy metabolism, mechanistic target of rapamycin mtor also plays an important role in the development and. Antiobesity effects of brown fatmediated adaptive thermogenesis. Insights into brown adipose tissue functions and browning. Review article mitochondria in white, brown, and beige. Inflammation and the brown beige properties of perivascular adipose tissue the aforementioned studies are focused on the most abundant, anatomically defined, adipose depots in which brown adipocytes e. Brown adipocytes are found in discrete areas in murine and human bat, whereas clusters of ucp1 expressing adipocytes are dispersed in white adipose tissue wat.
Frontiers neuronal control of adaptive thermogenesis. The presence of ucp1 and increased mitochondrial activity in beige adipocytes has suggested enhanced browning within wat and may be an. Beige adipocyte has recently attracted special interest because of its ability to dissipate energy and the possible ability to differentiate itself from white adipocytes. Adipose tissue usually is classified as either white, brown or beige brite, based on whether it functions as an energy storage or thermogenic organcannon and nedergaard, 20041. Adaptive thermogenesis is a catabolic process that consumes energystoring molecules and expends that energy as heat in response to environmental changes. The process of recruiting and activating beige adipocytes is referred to as browning 5,25,27,28.
More recently, we and others have demonstrated that beige adipocytes arise. The the recent discovery of brown and beige adipocytes in adult humans has sparked the explo. Adipose thermogenesis takes place in brown and beige adipocytes. Ablation of tfr1 in adipose tissue attenuates the thermogenic capacity and induces transdifferentiation of brown adipocy.
Uncoupling protein1 ucp1, which allows the uncoupling of substrate oxidation from phosphorylation of adp, represents the molecular signature of bat and beige adipocytes. Beige adipocytes express ucp1 and accumulate multilocular lipid droplets similar to genuine brown adipocytes but exhibit a gene expression signature that is distinct from classic brown adipocytes. Biology of beige adipocyte and possible therapy for type 2. Fish oil intake induces ucp1 upregulation in brown and. A biweekly scientific journal publishing highquality research in molecular biology and genetics, cancer biology, biochemistry, and related fields. It serves as an important regulator of systemic metabolism, exemplified by the fact that dysfunctional adipose tissue in obesity leads to a host of secondary metabolic. The recent discovery of brown and beige adipocytes in adult humans has sparked the explo ration of the development, regulation, and function of these thermogenic adipocytes. Numerous suggestions have been made that beige adipocytes can elicit beneficial metabolic effects on body weight, insulin. Activated brown or beige adipocytes are induced to dissipate heat as adaptive thermogenesis under sympathetic nervous system sns control 10. Beige adipocytes express ucp1 and accumulate multilocular lipid droplets similar to genuine brown adipocytes but exhibit a gene expression signature that is distinct from classic brown adipocytes 3,4.
The scaffold protein p62 regulates adaptive thermogenesis. Brown and beige adipocytes are highly adapted to expend chemical energy in the form of heat through the action of uncoupling protein1 ucp1. The current evidence indicates that rodents and humans possess two types of ucp1positive thermogenic adipocytes arising from developmentally distinct lineages. These adipocytes present different characteristics, while white adipocytes plays a role in energy storage by containing lipids in a single large lipid droplet, brown adipocytes activate adaptive thermogenesis controlling energy expenditure. Brown adipose tissue bat plays a central role in regulating energy homeostasis, and may provide novel strategies for the treatment of human obesity. The development and activation of brown like adipocytes, also known as beige cells, result in wat browning and thermogenesis. Betaadrenergic stimulation of brown adipose tissue leads to thermogenesis via the activating transcription factor 2 atf2 mediated expression of the thermogenic genes. Inflammation of brownbeige adipose tissues in obesity and. Brown adipose tissue is a particularly appealing target for increasing energy expenditure, given its amazing capacity to transform chemical energy into heat. The gut microbiota affects ucp1dependent thermogenesis of. Beige fat, adaptive thermogenesis, and its regulation by. Upon cold exposure, sns releases adrenergic signals.