Microarray gene expression analysis of white and brown adipose tissue depots from mice exposed to cold or room temperature

In the last decades, adipose tissue has been defined to play a central role in the control of energy balance. Furthermore, the proven endocrine and thermogenic functions of adipocytes have renewed interest in the study of this tissue, as the activation of non-shivering thermogenesis may hold great potential for the future treatment of obesity and T2D. Cold exposure has defined to activate this process. Here, the transcriptomic response of epididymal and inguinal white adipose depots (eWAT and iWAT, respectively) as well as that of the interscapular brown adipose depot (iBAT) of C57Bl/6 mice either exposed to 22ºC or 4ºC for the period of 4 days were examined. This in-detail study of the adaptation of each depot to cold exposure has allowed unraveling depot-specific regulatory molecular mechanisms.近数十年来，脂肪组织（adipose tissue）被证实为能量平衡调控的核心组织。此外，脂肪细胞（adipocytes）经证实的内分泌与产热功能，使得该组织的研究再度受到广泛关注——非战栗产热（non-shivering thermogenesis）的激活，或许将为肥胖与2型糖尿病（Type 2 Diabetes, T2D）的未来治疗带来巨大潜力。寒冷暴露已被证实可激活这一过程。本研究对分别置于22℃与4℃环境中暴露4天的C57BL/6小鼠的附睾白色脂肪垫（eWAT）、腹股沟白色脂肪垫（iWAT），以及肩胛间棕色脂肪垫（iBAT）的转录组响应（transcriptomic response）进行了检测。这项针对各脂肪垫对寒冷暴露适应性的详尽研究，成功揭示了脂肪垫特异性的调控分子机制。