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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis
Published on: June 3, 2016
Transcriptional control and hormonal response of thermogenic fat
Margo P Emont1, Hui Yu2, Jun Wu3
1Life Sciences Institute Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, LSI, RM5115A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA Life Sciences Institute Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, LSI, RM5115A, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Abstract:
Obesity and its associated metabolic diseases present a major public health problem around the world. The discovery that thermogenic fat is active in adult humans has sparked a renewal of interest in the study of its development and function and in the feasibility of using modulators of thermogenesis to work against obesity. In recent years, it has been shown that there are at least two distinct types of thermogenic fat cells: brown and beige fat. In this review, we discuss the transcriptional mediators of thermogenesis and the signaling molecules that regulate thermogenic cells. We also review the effects of thermogenic fat activation on whole-body metabolic parameters and evaluate the increasing evidence that activating thermogenesis in humans can be a viable method of ameliorating obesity. In these discussions, we highlight targets that can potentially be stimulated or modified in anti-obesity treatments.
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Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...
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