scholarly journals Differentiation-dependent expression of the brown adipocyte uncoupling protein gene: regulation by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 3410-3419 ◽  
Author(s):  
I B Sears ◽  
M A MacGinnitie ◽  
L G Kovacs ◽  
R A Graves

Uncoupling protein (UCP) is expressed only in brown adipocytes and is responsible for the unique thermogenic properties of this cell type. The novel brown preadipocyte cell line, HIB-1B, expresses UCP in a strictly differentiation-dependent manner. Transgenic mice studies have shown that a region from kb -2.8 to -1.0 of the marine UCP gene is required for brown adipocyte-specific expression. Subsequent analysis identified a potent 220-bp enhancer from kb -2.5 to -2.3. We show that this enhancer is active only in differentiated HIB-1B adipocytes, and we identify a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) response element, referred to as UCP regulatory element 1 (URE1), within the enhancer. URE1 has differentiation-dependent enhancing activity in HIB-1B cells and is required for enhancer action, since mutations of URE1 that block protein binding abolish enhancer activity. We also show that PPAR gamma antibodies block binding to URE1 of nuclear extracts from cultured brown adipocytes and from the brown adipose tissue of cold-exposed mice. Protein binding to URE1 increases substantially during differentiation of HIB-1B preadipocytes, and PPAR-gamma mRNA levels increase correspondingly. Although forced expression of PPAR gamma and retinoid X receptor alpha activates the enhancer in HIB-1B preadipocytes, these receptors are not capable of activating the enhancer in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Our results show that PPAR gamma is a regulator of the differentiation-dependent expression of UCP and suggest that there are additional factors in HIB-1B cells required for brown adipocyte-specific UCP expression.

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Kohlie ◽  
Nina Perwitz ◽  
Julia Resch ◽  
Sebastian M Schmid ◽  
Hendrik Lehnert ◽  
...  

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is key to energy homeostasis. By virtue of its thermogenic potential, it may dissipate excessive energy, regulate body weight and increase insulin sensitivity. Catecholamines are critically involved in the regulation of BAT thermogenesis, yet research has focussed on the effects of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Some evidence suggests a role of dopamine (DA) in BAT thermogenesis, but the cellular mechanisms involved have not been addressed. We employed our extensively characterised murine brown adipocyte cells. D1-like and D2-like receptors were detectable at the protein level. Stimulation with DA caused an increase in cAMP concentrations. Oxygen consumption rates (OCR), mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) levels increased after 24 h of treatment with either DA or a D1-like specific receptor agonist. A D1-like receptor antagonist abolished the DA-mediated effect on OCR, Δψm and UCP1. DA induced the release of fatty acids, which did not additionally alter DA-mediated increases of OCR. Mitochondrial mass (as determined by (i) CCCP- and oligomycin-mediated effects on OCR and (ii) immunoblot analysis of mitochondrial proteins) also increased within 24 h. This was accompanied by an increase in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha protein levels. Also, DA caused an increase in p38 MAPK phosphorylation and pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPK abolished the DA-mediated effect on Δψm. In summary, our study is the first to reveal direct D1-like receptor and p38 MAPK-mediated increases of thermogenesis and mitochondrial mass in brown adipocytes. These results expand our understanding of catecholaminergic effects on BAT thermogenesis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. E287-E296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasa Petrovic ◽  
Irina G. Shabalina ◽  
James A. Timmons ◽  
Barbara Cannon ◽  
Jan Nedergaard

Most physiologically induced examples of recruitment of brown adipose tissue (BAT) occur as a consequence of chronic sympathetic stimulation (norepinephrine release within the tissue). However, in some physiological contexts (e.g., prenatal and prehibernation recruitment), this pathway is functionally contraindicated. Thus a nonsympathetically mediated mechanism of BAT recruitment must exist. Here we have tested whether a PPARγ activation pathway could competently recruit BAT, independently of sympathetic stimulation. We continuously treated primary cultures of mouse brown (pre)adipocytes with the potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist rosiglitazone. In rosiglitazone-treated cultures, morphological signs of adipose differentiation and expression levels of the general adipogenic marker aP2 were manifested much earlier than in control cultures. Importantly, in the presence of the PPARγ agonist the brown adipocyte phenotype was significantly enhanced: UCP1 was expressed even in the absence of norepinephrine, and PPARα expression and norepinephrine-induced PGC-1α mRNA levels were significantly increased. However, the augmented levels of PPARα could not explain the brown-fat promoting effect of rosiglitazone, as this effect was still evident in PPARα-null cells. In continuously rosiglitazone-treated brown adipocytes, mitochondriogenesis, an essential part of BAT recruitment, was significantly enhanced. Most importantly, these mitochondria were capable of thermogenesis, as rosiglitazone-treated brown adipocytes responded to the addition of norepinephrine with a large increase in oxygen consumption. This thermogenic response was not observable in rosiglitazone-treated brown adipocytes originating from UCP1-ablated mice; hence, it was UCP1 dependent. Thus the PPARγ pathway represents an alternative, potent, and fully competent mechanism for BAT recruitment, which may be the cellular explanation for the enigmatic recruitment in prehibernation and prenatal states.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (6) ◽  
pp. R1789-R1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Rodrı́guez ◽  
Joan Ribot ◽  
Andreu Palou

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is reported to have health benefits, including reduction of body fat. Previous studies have shown that brown adipose tissue (BAT) is particularly sensitive to CLA-supplemented diet feeding. Most of them use mixtures containing several CLA isomers, mainly cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 in equal concentration. Our aim was to characterize the separate effects of both CLA isomers on thermogenic capacity in cultured brown adipocytes. The CLA isomers showed opposite effects. Hence, on the one hand, trans-10, cis-12 inhibited uncoupling protein (UCP) 1 induction by norepinephrine (NE) and produced a decrease in leptin mRNA levels. These effects were associated with a blockage of CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein-α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ2 mRNA expression. On the other hand, cis-9, trans-11 enhanced the UCP1 elicited by NE, an effect reported earlier for polyunsaturated fatty acids and also observed here for linoleic acid. These findings could explain, at least in part, the effects observed in vivo when feeding a CLA mixture supplemented diet as a result of the combined action of CLA isomers (reduction of adipogenesis and defective BAT thermogenesis that could be through trans-10, cis-12 and enhanced UCP1 thermogenic capacity through cis-9, trans-11).


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. E1159-E1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna A. Jörgensen ◽  
Damir Zadravec ◽  
Anders Jacobsson

The Elovl3 gene, which putatively encodes for a protein involved in the elongation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the C20–C24 range, is expressed in murine liver, skin, and brown adipose tissue (BAT). In BAT, Elovl3 is dramatically upregulated during tissue activation in response to cold exposure, and functional data imply that ELOVL3 is a critical enzyme for lipid accumulation in brown adipocytes during the early phase of tissue recruitment. The activation of BAT is controlled by sympathetic nerve activity and norepinephrine release. By using primary cultures of brown adipocytes, we show here that the induced Elovl3 gene expression is synergistically regulated by norepinephrine and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ ligand rosiglitazone. In addition, the potency of rosiglitazone to induce Elovl3 expression was several orders of magnitude higher than for the PPARα and PPARδ ligands WY-14643 and L-165041, respectively. The maximal increase in mRNA level by norepinephrine and rosiglitazone is achieved by induced transcription as well as increased mRNA stability, and the whole process requires novel protein synthesis. We conclude that norepinehrine and PPARγ, despite having different roles in brown adipocyte activation and differentiation, cooperate in expanding the intracellular lipid pool by synergistically stimulating Elovl3 expression.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (1) ◽  
pp. C105-C112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibian García ◽  
Maria-Jesús Obregón

To study the effect of the mitogens epidermal growth factor (EGF), acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF and bFGF), and vasopressin on brown adipocyte differentiation, we analyzed the expression of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) mRNA. Quiescent brown preadipocytes express high levels of UCP-1 mRNA in response to triiodothyronine (T3) and norepinephrine (NE). The addition of serum or the mitogenic condition aFGF + vasopressin + NE or EGF + vasopressin + NE decreases UCP-1 mRNA. A second addition of mitogens further decreases UCP-1 mRNA. Treatment with aFGF or bFGF alone increases UCP-1 mRNA, whereas the addition of EGF or vasopressin dramatically reduces UCP-1 mRNA levels. The continuous presence of T3 increases UCP-1 mRNA levels in cells treated with EGF, aFGF, or bFGF. The effect of T3 on the stimulation of DNA synthesis also was tested. T3 inhibits the mitogenic activity of aFGF and bFGF. In conclusion, mitogens like aFGF or bFGF allow brown adipocyte differentiation, whereas EGF and vasopressin inhibit the differentiation process. T3 behaves as an important hormone that regulates both brown adipocyte proliferation and differentiation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saki Takayanagi ◽  
Kengo Watanabe ◽  
Takeshi Maruyama ◽  
Motoyuki Ogawa ◽  
Kazuhiro Morishita ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent studies have shown that adipose tissue is an immunological organ. While inflammation in energy-storing white adipose tissues has been the focus of intense research, the regulatory mechanisms of inflammation in heat-producing brown adipose tissues remain largely unknown. We previously identified apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) as a critical regulator of brown adipocyte maturation; the PKA-ASK1-p38 axis facilitates uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) induction cell-autonomously. Here, we show that ASK1 suppresses an innate immune pathway and contributes to maintenance of brown adipocytes. We report a novel chemical pull-down method for endogenous kinases using analog sensitive kinase allele (ASKA) technology and identify an ASK1 interactor in brown adipocytes, receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (RIPK2). ASK1 disrupts the RIPK2 signaling complex and inhibits the NOD-RIPK2 pathway to downregulate the production of inflammatory cytokines. As a potential biological significance, an in vitro model for intercellular regulation suggests that ASK1 facilitates the expression of UCP1 through the suppression of inflammatory cytokine production. In parallel to our previous report on the PKA-ASK1-p38 axis, our work raises the possibility of an auxiliary role of ASK1 in brown adipocyte maintenance through neutralizing the thermogenesis-suppressive effect of the NOD-RIPK2 pathway.


Endocrinology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 146 (8) ◽  
pp. 3266-3276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Ravnskjaer ◽  
Michael Boergesen ◽  
Blanca Rubi ◽  
Jan K. Larsen ◽  
Tina Nielsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Fatty acids (FAs) are known to be important regulators of insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. FA-coenzyme A esters have been shown to directly stimulate the secretion process, whereas long-term exposure of β-cells to FAs compromises glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by mechanisms unknown to date. It has been speculated that some of these long-term effects are mediated by members of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family via an induction of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2). In this study we show that adenoviral coexpression of PPARα and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) in INS-1E β-cells synergistically and in a dose- and ligand-dependent manner increases the expression of known PPARα target genes and enhances FA uptake and β-oxidation. In contrast, ectopic expression of PPARγ/RXRα increases FA uptake and deposition as triacylglycerides. Although the expression of PPARα/RXRα leads to the induction of UCP2 mRNA and protein, this is not accompanied by reduced hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, indicating that under these conditions, increased UCP2 expression is insufficient for dissipation of the mitochondrial proton gradient. Importantly, whereas expression of PPARγ/RXRα attenuates GSIS, the expression of PPARα/RXRα potentiates GSIS in rat islets and INS-1E cells without affecting the mitochondrial membrane potential. These results show a strong subtype specificity of the two PPAR subtypes α and γ on lipid partitioning and insulin secretion when systematically compared in a β-cell context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. e994-e1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Ji Riis-Vestergaard ◽  
Bjørn Richelsen ◽  
Jens Meldgaard Bruun ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Jacob B Hansen ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation in humans has gained interest as a potential target for treatment of obesity and insulin resistance. In rodents, BAT is primarily induced through beta-3 adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) stimulation, whereas the primary beta adrenergic receptors (ADRBs) involved in human BAT activation are debated. We evaluated the importance of different ADRB subtypes for uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) induction in human brown adipocytes. Methods A human BAT cell model (TERT-hBA) was investigated for subtype-specific ADRB agonists and receptor knockdown on UCP1 mRNA levels and lipolysis (glycerol release). In addition, fresh human BAT biopsies and TERT-hBA were evaluated for expression of ADRB1, ADRB2, and ADRB3 using RT-qPCR. Results The predominant ADRB subtype in TERT-hBA adipocytes and BAT biopsies was ADRB1. In TERT-hBA, UCP1 mRNA expression was stimulated 11.0-fold by dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), 8.0-fold to 8.4-fold by isoproterenol (ISO; a pan-ADRB agonist), and 6.1-fold to 12.7-fold by dobutamine (ADRB1 agonist), whereas neither procaterol (ADRB2 agonist), CL314.432, or Mirabegron (ADRB3 agonists) affected UCP1. Similarly, dbcAMP, ISO, and dobutamine stimulated glycerol release, whereas lipolysis was unaffected by ADRB2 and ADRB3 agonists. Selective knockdown of ADRB1 significantly attenuated ISO-induced UCP1 expression. Conclusion The adrenergic stimulation of UCP1 and lipolysis may mainly be mediated through ADRB1. Moreover, ADRB1 is the predominant ADRB in both TERT-hBA and human BAT biopsies. Thus, UCP1 expression in human BAT may, unlike in rodents, primarily be regulated by ADRB1. These findings may have implications for ADRB agonists as future therapeutic compounds for human BAT activation.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virag Vas ◽  
Tamás Háhner ◽  
Gyöngyi Kudlik ◽  
Dávid Ernszt ◽  
Krisztián Kvell ◽  
...  

Obesity and adipocyte malfunction are related to and arise as consequences of disturbances in signaling pathways. Tyrosine kinase substrate with four Src homology 3 domains (Tks4) is a scaffold protein that establishes a platform for signaling cascade molecules during podosome formation and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. Several lines of evidence have also suggested that Tks4 has a role in adipocyte biology; however, its roles in the various types of adipocytes at the cellular level and in transcriptional regulation have not been studied. Therefore, we hypothesized that Tks4 functions as an organizing molecule in signaling networks that regulate adipocyte homeostasis. Our aims were to study the white and brown adipose depots of Tks4 knockout (KO) mice using immunohistology and western blotting and to analyze gene expression changes regulated by the white, brown, and beige adipocyte-related transcription factors via a PCR array. Based on morphological differences in the Tks4-KO adipocytes and increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of Tks4-KO mice, we concluded that the beigeing process was more robust in the WAT of Tks4-KO mice compared to the wild-type animals. Furthermore, in the Tks4-KO WAT, the expression profile of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)-regulated adipogenesis-related genes was shifted in favor of the appearance of beige-like cells. These results suggest that Tks4 and its downstream signaling partners are novel regulators of adipocyte functions and PPARγ-directed white to beige adipose tissue conversion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Kon Kim ◽  
Baek-Soo Han

Abstract Brown adipocytes play important roles in the regulation of energy homeostasis by uncoupling protein 1-mediated non-shivering thermogenesis. Recent studies suggest that brown adipocytes as novel therapeutic targets for combating obesity and associated diseases, such as type II diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying brown adipocyte differentiation and function are not fully understood. We employed previous findings obtained through proteomic studies performed to assess proteins displaying altered levels during brown adipocyte differentiation. Here, we performed assays to determine the functional significance of their altered levels during brown adipogenesis and development. We identified isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) as upregulated during brown adipocyte differentiation, with subsequent investigations revealing that ectopic expression of IDH1 inhibited brown adipogenesis, whereas suppression of IDH1 levels promoted differentiation of brown adipocytes. Additionally, Idh1 overexpression resulted in increased levels of intracellular α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and inhibited the expression of genes involved in brown adipogenesis. Exogenous treatment with α-KG reduced brown adipogenesis during the early phase of differentiation, and ChIP analysis revealed that IDH1-mediated α-KG reduced trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 in the promoters of genes associated with brown adipogenesis. Furthermore, administration of α-KG decreased adipogenic gene expression by modulating histone methylation in brown adipose tissues of mice. These results suggested that the IDH1–α-KG axis plays an important role in regulating brown adipocyte differentiation and might represent a therapeutic target for treating metabolic diseases.


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