ZFP423 Controls EBF2 Co-activator Recruitment and PPARgamma Occupancy to Determine the Thermogenic Plasticity of Adipocytes_ChAP-seq

Energy-storing white adipocytes maintain their identity by suppressing the gene program defining energy-burning thermogenic brown/beige adipocytes. Here, we reveal that the protein-protein interaction between the transcriptional co-regulator ZFP423 and brown/beige cell determination factor, EBF2, is essential for restraining the thermogenic phenotype of white adipose tissue (WAT). Disruption of the ZFP423-EBF2 protein interaction through CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing triggers widespread “browning” of WAT in adult mice. Mechanistically, adipocyte Zfp423 deficiency induces an EBF2 NuRD-to-BAF co-regulator switch and a shift in PPARgamma occupancy to thermogenic genes. This shift in PPARgamma occupancy increases the anti-diabetic efficacy of the PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone in obesity while diminishing the unwanted weight-gaining effect of the drug. These data indicate that ZFP423 controls EBF2 co-activator recruitment and PPARgamma occupancy to determine the thermogenic plasticity of adipocytes and raise the concept of targeting transcriptional brakes in adipocyte gene expression as a therapeutic strategy to induce thermogenic adipocyte biogenesis in obesity. Overall design: Chromatin Affinity Purification (ChAP)-seq experiment to analyze ZFP423 DNA binding sites in differentiated adipocytes.