title: Hypothalamus and thermogenesis: Heating the BAT, browning the WAT.
abstract: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been also considered as the main thermogenic organ responsible of maintenance body temperature through heat production. However, a new type of thermogenic fat has been characterized during the last years, the beige or brite fat, that is developed from white adipose tissue (WAT) in response to different stimuli by a process known as browning. The activities of brown and beige adipocytes ameliorate metabolic disease, including obesity in mice and correlate with leanness in humans. Many genes and pathways that regulate brown and beige adipocyte biology have now been identified, providing a variety of promising therapeutic targets for metabolic disease. The hypothalamus is the main central place orchestrating the outflow signals that drive the sympathetic nerve activity to BAT and WAT, controlling heat production and energy homeostasis. Recent data have revealed new hypothalamic molecular mechanisms, such as hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), that control both thermogenesis and browning. This review provides an overview of the factors influencing BAT and WAT thermogenesis, with special focus on the integration of peripheral information on hypothalamic circuits controlling thermoregulation.
authors: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain. Electronic address: cristina.contreras@usc.es.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Contreras
authors: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.
authors: Rubén
authors: R
authors: Nogueiras
authors: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Diéguez
authors: Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas de la Salud, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28922, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Gema
authors: G
authors: Medina-Gómez
authors: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain. Electronic address: m.lopez@usc.es.
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: López
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000502:physiology*; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: AMPK; Brown adipose tissue; Browning; Hypothalamus; Thermogenesis; White adipose tissue