title: Understanding the brown adipocyte as a contributor to energy homeostasis.
abstract: Brown adipocytes are specialized cells capable of undergoing thermogenesis, a phenomenon regulated by the sympathetic nervous system, due to the presence of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). The recent demonstrations of their presence in adult humans, and the discovery that brown adipocytes can be derived from distinct precursors and express specific genes depending on their anatomic location, have sparked intense interest in enhancing the current understanding of their biology and relevance to human energy homeostasis. We provide an overview of the latest advances related to the developmental origins of brown adipocytes, discuss their regulation and function in both rodents and humans, and offer a critical perspective on the relevance of brown adipocyte-mediated thermogenesis in human physiology.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 4G5, Canada.
authors.forename: Kanta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chechi
authors.forename: Andre C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richard
mesh_terms: D052437:Adipocytes, Brown / Q000378:metabolism*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D000071256:Uncoupling Protein 1
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C000604371:UCP1 protein, human; D000071256:Uncoupling Protein 1
keywords: brain melanocortin system; brown adipose tissue; energy balance; sympathetic nervous system; thermogenesis; thermoregulation; uncoupling protein 1; white adipose tissue