Elayne Hondares1, José M Gallego-Escuredo1, Pavel Flachs2, Andrea Frontini3, Ruben Cereijo1, Alberto Goday4, Jessica Perugini3, Pavel Kopecky5, Marta Giralt1, Saverio Cinti3, Jan Kopecky2, Francesc Villarroya6. 1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. 2. Department of Adipose Tissue Biology, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Prague, Czech Republic. 3. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Center for the Study of Obesity-United Hospitals University of Ancona (Politecnica delle Marche), Ancona, Italy. 4. CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain. 5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Neonatology, General Faculty Hospital and First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. 6. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. Electronic address: fvillarroya@ub.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In rodents, brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues are targets and expression sites for fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21). In contrast, human WAT expresses negligible levels of FGF21. We examined FGF21 expression in human BAT samples, including the induced BAT found in adult patients with pheochromocytoma, and interscapular and visceral BAT from newborns. METHODS: The expression of FGF21 and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1, a brown adipocyte marker), was determined by quantitative real-time-PCR and immunoblotting. The transcript levels of marker genes for developmentally-programmed BAT (zinc-finger-protein of the cerebellum-1, ZIC1) and inducible-BAT (cluster of differentiation-137, CD137) were also determined. RESULTS: FGF21 and UCP1 are significantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue from pheochromocytoma patients, but not in visceral fat from healthy individuals. In neonates, FGF21 and UCP1 are both expressed in visceral and interscapular fat, and their expression levels show a significant positive correlation. Marker gene expression profiles suggest that inducible BAT is present in visceral fat from pheochromocytoma patients and neonates, whereas developmentally-programmed BAT is present in neonatal interscapular fat. CONCLUSIONS: Human BAT, but not WAT, expresses FGF21. The expression of FGF21 is especially high in inducible, also called beige/brite, neonatal BAT, but it is also found in the interscapular, developmentally-programmed, BAT of neonates.
OBJECTIVE: In rodents, brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues are targets and expression sites for fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21). In contrast, human WAT expresses negligible levels of FGF21. We examined FGF21 expression in human BAT samples, including the induced BAT found in adult patients with pheochromocytoma, and interscapular and visceral BAT from newborns. METHODS: The expression of FGF21 and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1, a brown adipocyte marker), was determined by quantitative real-time-PCR and immunoblotting. The transcript levels of marker genes for developmentally-programmed BAT (zinc-finger-protein of the cerebellum-1, ZIC1) and inducible-BAT (cluster of differentiation-137, CD137) were also determined. RESULTS:FGF21 and UCP1 are significantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue from pheochromocytomapatients, but not in visceral fat from healthy individuals. In neonates, FGF21 and UCP1 are both expressed in visceral and interscapular fat, and their expression levels show a significant positive correlation. Marker gene expression profiles suggest that inducible BAT is present in visceral fat from pheochromocytomapatients and neonates, whereas developmentally-programmed BAT is present in neonatal interscapular fat. CONCLUSIONS:Human BAT, but not WAT, expresses FGF21. The expression of FGF21 is especially high in inducible, also called beige/brite, neonatal BAT, but it is also found in the interscapular, developmentally-programmed, BAT of neonates.
Authors: J M Gallego-Escuredo; J Gómez-Ambrosi; V Catalan; P Domingo; M Giralt; G Frühbeck; F Villarroya Journal: Int J Obes (Lond) Date: 2014-05-12 Impact factor: 5.095
Authors: Laurent Vergnes; Graeme R Davies; Jason Y Lin; Michael W Yeh; Masha J Livhits; Avital Harari; Michael E Symonds; Harold S Sacks; Karen Reue Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2016-08-30 Impact factor: 5.958