Hkat, a novel nutritionally regulated transmembrane protein in adipose tissues

White adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ regulating many aspects of whole body physiology and pathology. Adipogenesis, a process in which premature cells differentiate into adipocytes, is a complex process that includes orchestrated changes in gene expression and cell morphology in response to various nutritional and hormonal stimuli. To profile transcriptome changes in response to nutritional stimulation, we performed RNA-seq on fat in mice treated with either a high-fat diet or fasting. We identified a novel nutritionally regulated gene, Gm12824, named Hkat (heart, kidney, adipose-enriched transmembrane protein). We show that both fasting and obesity dramatically reduce Hkat in white adipose tissue, and that fasting reduces while obesity increases its expression in brown fat. Hkat is localized to the plasma membrane and induced during adipogenesis. Therefore, Hkat is a novel nutritionally regulated gene that is potentially involved in metabolism.