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. A total number of 8 mice were divided in two cohorts of 4 mice. The first group was housed at room temperature and the second group at cold exposure. Then, iBAT, iWAT and eWAT samples were collected from each mice. Total samples 24.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，脂肪细胞已被证实的内分泌与产热功能，重新唤起了学界对该组织的研究热情——非战栗产热的激活，或许可为肥胖与2型糖尿病（T2D）的未来治疗提供巨大潜力。而寒冷暴露已被证实可激活这一过程。 本研究检测了暴露于22℃或4℃环境长达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microRNA（miRNA）转录组应答特征。 这项针对各脂肪垫对寒冷暴露适应性的细致研究，得以阐明脂肪垫特异性的调控分子机制。本次实验共纳入8只小鼠，分为两组，每组4只。第一组饲养于室温环境，第二组置于寒冷暴露条件下。随后，从每只小鼠体内采集iBAT、iWAT与eWAT样本，总计获得24份样本。