Exercise Training and Cold Exposure Trigger Distinct Molecular Adaptations to Inguinal White Adipose Tissue

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Health
• Adipose Tissue Biology
• Proteomics

Background:

• Exercise training and cold exposure are known to improve systemic metabolism.
• The precise molecular mechanisms underlying these metabolic improvements, particularly adaptations in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), remain incompletely understood.

Approach:

• Investigated the impact of exercise-trained and cold-exposed iWAT on systemic glucose metabolism in mice via tissue transplantation.
• Analyzed the proteome and secretome of iWAT following exercise training and cold exposure.
• Correlated specific protein changes with metabolic outcomes, such as glucose tolerance and fasting glucose levels.

Key Points:

• Transplantation of exercise-trained iWAT significantly improved glucose tolerance in sedentary mice.
• Cold-exposed iWAT transplantation did not confer similar glucose metabolism benefits, despite causing more extensive proteomic alterations and boosting thermogenic capacity.
• Exercise training uniquely upregulated proteins associated with extracellular space, vesicle transport, and favorable fasting glucose, suggesting distinct mechanisms for metabolic communication.

Conclusions:

• Exercise training and cold exposure induce distinct adaptations in iWAT at the proteomic and secretomic levels.
• Trained iWAT plays a critical role in mediating exercise-induced improvements in systemic glucose metabolism.
• These findings reveal unique molecular pathways by which exercise and cold exposure impact metabolic health.