Phenotypic Analysis of BAT versus WAT Differentiation.

The Western world is in the midst of an epidemic of obesity, which is the cause of severe clinical complications such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Obesity develops when energy intake chronically exceeds energy expenditure; thus, either reducing the energy intake and/or increasing the energy expenditure has been used in the treatment and prevention of obesity. On a cellular level, energy storage is mediated by white adipocyte tissue (WAT). In contrast, brown adipose tissue (BAT) contributes to body temperature and metabolic homeostasis by metabolizing lipids and glucose. Adipose tissue is a notoriously difficult tissue to work with, due to the high content of triglycerides and the fragility of the cells. In this unit, several approaches to analysis of BAT and WAT are described that overcome these limitations. Curr. Protoc. Mouse Biol. 3:205-216 © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.