Identification of brown-fat derived adipokine that enhances whole body energy expenditure

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26860684
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Metabolomics
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Okamatsu Yuko 北海道大学, 獣医学研究科, 講師 (90527178)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 褐色脂肪 / エネルギー代謝 / 脂肪細胞 / 肥満

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Brown adipose tissue dissipates energy as heat, and is expected as therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity. The aim of this study was to clarify the regulative mechanisms of the number of brown adipocytes. Obtained results indicate that the number of brown adipocytes increases by the proliferation of mature brown adipocytes, in addition to the proliferation and differentiation of progenitors into brown adipocytes, and their proliferation is regulated via different types of adrenergic receptor. As expected, increasing the number of brown adipocytes by the adrenergic stimulation resulted in the enhancement of basic energy expenditure. In addition, it was observed that the number of beige adipocytes, inducible type of brown adipocytes, decreased with aging, possibly due to the age-dependent decline in the number of progenitors. These results suggest the importance of the understanding the regulative mechanism of the number of brown/beige adipocytes and their progenitors.

Free Research Field

代謝学