Microarray miRNA 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 miRNA 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，脂肪组织已被明确为能量平衡调控的核心组织。此外，脂肪细胞经证实的内分泌与产热功能，使得该领域对脂肪组织的研究再度升温——非颤抖产热的激活，或许可为肥胖及2型糖尿病（Type 2 Diabetes, T2D）的未来治疗带来巨大应用潜力。寒冷暴露已被证实可激活这一产热过程。本研究检测了暴露于22℃或4℃环境达4天的C57BL/6小鼠的附睾白色脂肪垫（epididymal white adipose depot, eWAT）、腹股沟白色脂肪垫（inguinal white adipose depot, iWAT）以及肩胛间棕色脂肪垫（interscapular brown adipose depot, iBAT）的微RNA（microRNA, miRNA）转录组应答情况。这项针对各脂肪垫对寒冷暴露适应性的精细化研究，得以阐明脂肪垫特异性的调控分子机制。