Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
Published on: November 11, 2021
Brown Adipocytes Secrete GDF15 in Response to Thermogenic Activation
Laura Campderrós1,2, Ricardo Moure1,2, Montserrat Cairó1,2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Objective:
Transcriptomic analysis of gene expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT) from mice in response to cold revealed strong induction of growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). This study aimed to characterize GDF15 as a brown adipokine released in response to thermogenic activation and to determine its target functions.
Methods:
GDF15 expression was measured in adipose tissues from mice in response to physiological and pharmacological modulators of thermogenesis. Brown and beige cell cultures were used to dissect the mechanisms regulating GDF15 expression. Brown adipocyte cellular models of fibroblast growth factor 21 and β-klotho invalidation were employed to identify the autocrine regulators of GDF15. RAW 264.7 macrophages were used to explore the targeting of GDF15 released by brown adipocytes.
Results:
Cold exposure of mice strongly induced GDF15 expression in BAT. Norepinephrine and cyclic adenosine monophosphate induced GDF15 expression and release by cells through protein kinase A-mediated mechanisms. Noradrenergic regulation of GDF15 required the active fibroblast growth factor 21 pathway in brown adipocytes. GDF15 released by brown adipocytes targeted macrophages and downregulated the expression of proinflammatory genes.
Conclusions:
GDF15 is a brown adipokine released by brown and beige cells in response to thermogenic activity. GDF15 released by BAT targets macrophages and may mediate downregulation of local inflammatory pathways.
More Related Videos
04:46Differentiation and Imaging of Brown Adipocytes from the Stromal Vascular Fraction of Interscapular Adipose Tissue from Newborn Mice
Published on: February 3, 2023
07:07Isolating Brown Adipocytes from Murine Interscapular Brown Adipose Tissue for Gene and Protein Expression Analysis
Published on: March 12, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Humoral Immune Responses
Cells and Secretions of the Pancreas
Exocrine function is carried out by acinar cells, organized into clusters known as acini. These cells contribute to digestion by releasing substantial quantities of enzyme-rich, alkaline digestive juices.
Concurrently, the dispersed clusters of endocrine cells throughout the...
Hormones Secreted by the Stomach
Each of these hormones secreted by different enteroendocrine cells plays a unique role in digestion. Here are a few examples:
Pancreatic Juice and Secretion
When acidic chyme from the stomach enters the duodenum, it triggers the release of secretin, a hormone that prompts pancreatic juice secretion. After a fatty meal, cholecystokinin, another hormone, stimulates gallbladder contraction and enhances enzyme-rich...
Tubular Reabsorption and Secretion
Tubular reabsorption is a selective process that starts when the filtrate enters the proximal tubules. It involves substances traveling through the transcellular route (through the tubule cell and peritubular...
Reabsorption and Secretion in the PCT
Transport mechanisms involving sodium ions (Na+) contribute significantly to solute reabsorption. These mechanisms include symport and antiport processes.
A key example is the...