3' RNA-seq of differentiating (brown) mouse subcutaneous SVF cells upon knockdown of Zfp521, Fhl1, or Mxd1

White fat browning is a highly variable genetic trait in mice (Guerra et al., 1998). To gain an overview of strain variations in browning capacities, we performed transcriptome analysis of white fat browning in (1) 5 inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, 129S6sv/ev, A/J, AKR/J, and SWR/J) with distinct browning propensities in WAT, and (2) F1 hybrids derived from a high (129S6sv/ev) and low browning strain (C57BL/6J) cross. From our analyses, several transcription factors emerged as novel regulators of white fat browning, including the TFs Zfp521, Fhl1, and Mxd1. We further validated the role of these TFs and performed 3' RNA-seq experiments upon their knockdown, in order to characterize their mechanism of action.