Acute exercise regulates adipogenic gene expression in white adipose tissue

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Metabolism

Background:

• White adipose tissue (WAT) expansion involves adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia.
• Exercise training promotes adipocyte hypotrophy via lipolysis.
• The effect of exercise on adipogenesis through gene expression changes remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a single bout of swimming exercise on adipogenic gene expression in WAT.
• To analyze changes in specific adipogenic and thermogenic markers following acute exercise.

Main Methods:

• Male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to 120 minutes of swimming exercise or remained sedentary.
• Adipogenic gene expression in WAT was assessed using RT-PCR immediately post-exercise.
• Confocal microscopy was used to observe tdTomato positive cells in WAT from UCP1-cre-tdTomato mice.

Main Results:

• Acute exercise significantly decreased PPARγ2 and C/EBPα mRNA in epididymal WAT (eWAT), with increased Wnt10b and KLFs.
• In inguinal WAT (iWAT), PPARγ2 decreased with increased Wnt6 and KLFs, while C/EBPα was unaffected.
• C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ, and PGC-1α expression increased in both WAT depots; UCP1 increased in eWAT adipocytes.

Conclusions:

• Acute exercise suppresses adipogenic gene expression in WAT.
• Exercise may regulate thermogenesis by activating C/EBPβ, PGC-1α, and UCP1 in WAT.
• These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms linking acute exercise to adipose tissue regulation.