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Author Spotlight: Illuminating New Avenues for Adipose Tissue Metabolism and Disease Prevention
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Adiponectin is required for maintaining normal body temperature in a cold environment.
Qiong Wei1,2, Jong Han Lee1,3, Hongying Wang4,5
1USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
BMC Physiology
|October 24, 2017
Summary
Adiponectin is essential for maintaining body temperature and regulating thermogenesis, especially during cold exposure. Adiponectin-null mice show impaired thermoregulation and reduced energy expenditure.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic research
- Endocrinology
- Obesity research
Background:
- Thermogenic impairment contributes to obesity and insulin resistance.
- Adiponectin regulates energy homeostasis, but its role in thermogenesis is unclear.
- This study investigates adiponectin's role in thermogenesis using adiponectin-null mice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the role of adiponectin in thermogenesis.
- To determine if adiponectin is necessary for maintaining body temperature during cold exposure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized adiponectin-null (Adipoq-/-) mice.
- Assessed body composition, metabolic parameters (indirect calorimetry), and insulin sensitivity.
- Measured core body temperature and analyzed gene/protein expression in adipose tissues, including mitochondrial content and fusion genes.
Main Results:
- Adiponectin-null mice showed reduced energy expenditure during fasting and decreased body temperature under cold exposure.
- Thermogenic gene expression, mitochondrial content, and mitochondrial fusion gene expression were reduced in brown and white adipose tissues.
- Adiponectin deletion suppressed adrenergic activation, down-regulating the beta-3 adrenergic receptor, insulin signaling, and the AMPK-SIRT1 pathway in brown adipose tissue.
Conclusions:
- Adiponectin is a crucial regulator of thermogenesis.
- Adiponectin is required for maintaining body temperature, particularly under cold conditions.
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