University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
Emerging Complexities in Adipocyte Origins and Identity
UMMS Affiliation
Program in Molecular Medicine; UMass Metabolic Network; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program
Publication Date
2016-05-01
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Cell Biology | Developmental Biology
Abstract
The global incidence of obesity and its comorbidities continues to rise along with a demand for novel therapeutic interventions. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is attracting attention as a therapeutic target because of its presence in adult humans and high capacity to dissipate energy as heat, and thus burn excess calories, when stimulated. Another potential avenue for therapeutic intervention is to induce, within white adipose tissue (WAT), the formation of brown-like adipocytes called brite (brown-like-in-white) or beige adipocytes. However, understanding how to harness the potential of these thermogenic cells requires a deep understanding of their developmental origins and regulation. Recent cell-labeling and lineage-tracing experiments are beginning to shed light on this emerging area of adipocyte biology. We review here adipocyte development, giving particular attention to thermogenic adipocytes.
Keywords
UCP1, adipose tissue development, beige adipocyte, brite adipocyte, brown adipocyte, lipodystrophy, obesity, thermogenesis, white adipocyte
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.tcb.2016.01.004
Source
Trends Cell Biol. 2016 May;26(5):313-26. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2016.01.004. Epub 2016 Feb 11. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Trends in cell biology
PubMed ID
26874575
Repository Citation
Sanchez-Gurmaches, Joan; Hung, Chien-Min; and Guertin, David A., "Emerging Complexities in Adipocyte Origins and Identity" (2016). University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. 1061.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/1061
Comments
Co-author Chien-Min Hung is a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at UMass Medical School.