Aging impairs cold-induced beige adipogenesis and adipocyte metabolic reprogramming [single-nucleus RNA-seq]

The energy-burning capability of beige adipose tissue is a potential therapeutic tool for reducing obesity and metabolic disease, but this capacity is decreased by aging. Here, we evaluate the impact of aging on the profile and activity of adipocytes during the beiging process through single nucleus gene expression analysis of inguinal white adipose tissue of young and aged mice in response to cold exposure. Overall design: Inguinal white adipose tissue nuclei from Young (9 weeks) and Aged (57 weeks) C57BL/6 mice previously acclimated to 30°C for 3 weeks and either: maintained at 30°C for 2 weeks (TN); kept at 30°C for 11 more days before moving to 6°C for 3 days (3D cold), or moved to 6°C for 14 days (14D cold).