Taf7l Modulates Brown Adipose Tissue Formation. Mus musculus

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an essential role in metabolic homeostasis by dissipating energy via thermogenesis through uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1). Previously, we reported that the TATA-binding protein Associated Factor 7L (Taf7l) is an important regulator of white adipose tissue (WAT) differentiation. Here, we show that Taf7l also serves as a molecular switch between brown fat and muscle lineages in vivo and in vitro. In adipose tissue, Taf7l containing TFIID complexes associate with PPAR to mediate DNA looping between distal enhancers and core promoter elements. Our findings suggest that presence of the tissue-specific Taf7l subunit in TFIID functions to promote long-range chromatin interactions during BAT lineage specification. Overall design: mRNA-seq expression profiling wild type and Taf7l knockout interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT)