Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Isolation and Differentiation of Stromal Vascular Cells to Beige/Brite Cells
Published on: March 28, 2013
RGS2: A multifunctional signaling hub that balances brown adipose tissue function and differentiation
Katarina Klepac1, JuHee Yang1, Staffan Hildebrand2
1Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Research Training Group 1873, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
Objective:
Recruitment of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a potential new strategy for increasing energy expenditure (EE) to treat obesity. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent promising targets to activate BAT, as they are the major regulators of BAT biological function. To identify new regulators of GPCR signaling in BAT, we studied the role of Regulator of G protein Signaling 2 (RGS2) in brown adipocytes and BAT.
Methods:
We combined pharmacological and genetic tools to investigate the role of RGS2 in BAT in vitro and in vivo. Adipocyte progenitors were isolated from wild-type (WT) and RGS2 knockout (RGS2-/-) BAT and differentiated to brown adipocytes. This approach was complemented with knockdown of RGS2 using lentiviral shRNAs (shRGS2). Adipogenesis was analyzed by Oil Red O staining and by determining the expression of adipogenic and thermogenic markers. Pharmacological modulators and fluorescence staining of F-acting stress fibers were employed to identify the underlying signaling pathways. In vivo, the activity of BAT was assessed by ex vivo lipolysis and by measuring whole-body EE by indirect calorimetry in metabolic cages.
Results:
RGS2 is highly expressed in BAT, and treatment with cGMP-an important enhancer of brown adipocyte differentiation-further increased RGS2 expression. Loss of RGS2 strongly suppressed adipogenesis and the expression of thermogenic genes in brown adipocytes. Mechanistically, we found increased Gq/Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling in the absence of RGS2. Surprisingly, in vivo analysis revealed elevated BAT activity in RGS2-deficient mice that was caused by enhanced Gs/cAMP signaling.
Conclusion:
Overall, RGS2 regulates two major signaling pathways in BAT: Gq and Gs. On the one hand, RGS2 promotes brown adipogenesis by counteracting the inhibitory action of Gq/Rho/ROCK signaling. On the other hand, RGS2 decreases the activity of BAT through the inhibition of Gs signaling and cAMP production. Thus, RGS2 might represent a stress modulator that protects BAT from overstimulation.
More Related Videos
08:31Visualization and Quantification of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissues in Mice using [18F]FDG Micro-PET/MR Imaging
Published on: July 1, 2021
04:46Differentiation and Imaging of Brown Adipocytes from the Stromal Vascular Fraction of Interscapular Adipose Tissue from Newborn Mice
Published on: February 3, 2023
Related Concept Videos
TGF - β Signaling Pathway
Sympathetic Signaling
Sympathetic preganglionic fibers release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) onto the ganglionic neurons in the...
Regulation of Metabolism
Endocrine Signaling
Thermoregulation
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...