Paternal cold exposure enhances brown adipose tissue sensitivity in offspring and ameliorates diet induced obesity. Mus musculus

Research in recent years has focused on environmental effects that control tissue functionality and systemic metabolism. We show here in a retrospective analysis that presence of brown adipocytes and date of birth are correlated and linked to BMI. In a mouse model system, we demonstrate that pre-conception cold exposure leads to improved systemic metabolism and protects from diet induced obesity, through the sperm via the paternal lineage. Using a brown fat ablation model, we show that this effect is mediated by brown adipose tissue. Furthermore, through RNAseq and DNA methylation analysis we identify Adrb3 as a putative signaling mechanism which could mediate the effects of pre-conception cold exposure and could account for the heterogeneity of brown adipose tissue responsiveness. Taken together, our results identify paternal cold exposure as a stimulus which induces a hyper-active state in brown adipose tissue leading to improved adaptation to overnutrition and hypothermia in the offspring. Overall design: WGBS-seq of sperm from control and cold stimulated mice