Molecular responses and physiological implications to systemic stimuli in adipocyte progenitor cells

脂肪组织对新陈代谢和一般健康具有重要意义。现在已经确定，脂肪不是一个被动的能量储存组织，因为它曾经被认为是一个动态的组织，响应不断变化的生理需求和系统信号，以及分泌各种有效的激素与代谢的影响。脂肪组织内的主要细胞类型是脂肪细胞，并且最近的进展已经阐明了脂肪细胞类型中存在异质性，包括不同的功能特性。使用细胞能量学来分类脂肪细胞的类型定义了两大类：储存能量的脂肪细胞（“白色”脂肪细胞）和分散能量的脂肪细胞（“棕色”脂肪细胞）。也许最有趣的是，多于一种类型的脂肪细胞可以存在于单个脂肪库中;特别是，在啮齿动物的皮下脂肪库中，其主要是白色，也存在具有棕色脂肪细胞性质的脂肪细胞，称为白色中的棕色（“brite”）或“beige”脂肪细胞。此外，这些脂肪细胞的数量是动态的，响应于系统信号和环境的变化。随着肥胖症患者数量的持续增加，脂肪细胞分散能量的潜在影响产生了详细阐明这种生物学的热情，期望这些知识将为开发新的治疗方法提供基础，除了推进我们对细胞和分子生物学的理解。然而，我们对指导这一重要过程的分子机制的理解存在知识差距。在我们对生理系统信号如何汇聚在这些机械通路上的理解中，还有一个额外的知识缺口。使用条件性缺失小鼠模型，我们确定Klf 15作为米色脂肪细胞生成的有效调节因子。我们将使用最先进的分子和细胞生物学方法来揭示Klf 15调控这一过程的机制。

Adipose tissue has important implications for metabolism and general health. It is now well established that, rather than being a passive tissue for energy storage, as it was once perceived, adipose is a dynamic tissue that responds to changing physiological needs and systemic signals as well as secretes a variety of potent hormones with metabolic implications. The primary cell type within adipose tissue is the adipocyte and more recent advances have elucidated that there is heterogeneity in types of adipocytes, including divergent functional properties. Using cellular energetics to classify types of adipocytes defines two broad categories: adipocytes that store energy (‘white’ adipocytes) and adipocytes that disperse energy (‘brown’ adipocytes). Perhaps most intriguingly, more than one type of adipocyte can reside within a single adipose depot; in particular, within subcutaneous adipose depots in rodents, which are primarily white, there are also adipocytes that have properties of brown adipocytes, referred to as brown-in-white (‘brite’) or ‘beige’ adipocytes. Furthermore, the number of these adipocytes is dynamic, responding to changes in the systemic signals and environments. As the number of individuals with obesity continues to rise, the potential implications of adipocytes that disperse energy has generated enthusiasm for elucidating this biology in detail with the expectation that this knowledge will provide a foundation for the development of novel therapeutic approaches, in addition to advancing our understanding of cell and molecular biology in general. Yet, there is a knowledge gap in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that direct this important process. There is an additional knowledge gap in our understanding of how physiological systemic signals converge on these mechanistic pathways. Using a conditional deletion mouse model, we identified Klf15 as a potent regulator of the generation of beige adipocytes. We will use state-of-the-art molecular and cell biology approaches to expose the mechanisms by which Klf15 regulates this process