title: Plasticity of adipose tissue in response to fasting and refeeding in male mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fasting is the most widely prescribed and self-imposed strategy for treating excessive weight gain and obesity, and has been shown to exert a number of beneficial effects. The aim of the present study was to determine the exact role of fasting and subsequent refeeding on fat distribution in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57/BL6 mice fasted for 24 to 72 h and were then subjected to refeeding for 72 h. At 24, 48 and 72 h of fasting, and 12, 24, 48 and 72 h of refeeding, the mice were sacrificed, and serum and various adipose tissues were collected. Serum biochemical parameters, adipose tissue masses and histomorphological analysis of different depots were detected. MRNA was isolated from various adipose tissues, and the expressions of thermogenesis, visceral signature and lipid metabolism-related genes were examined. The phenotypes of adipose tissues between juvenile and adult mice subjected to fasting and refeeding were also compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fasting preferentially consumed mesenteric fat mass and decreased the cell size of mesenteric depots; however, refeeding recovered the mass and morphology of inguinal adipose tissues preferentially compared with visceral depots. Thermogenesis-related gene expression in the inguinal WAT and interscapular BAT were suppressed. Mitochondrial biogenesis was affected by fasting in a depot-specific manner. Furthermore, a short period of fasting led to an increase in visceral signature genes (Wt1, Tcf21) in subcutaneous adipose tissue, while the expression of these genes decreased sharply as the fasting time increased. Additionally, lipogenesis-related markers were enhanced to a greater extent greater in subcutaneous depots compared with those in visceral adipose tissues by refeeding. Although similar phenotypic changes in adipose tissue were observed between juvenile mice and adult mice subjected to fasting and refeeding, the alterations appeared earlier and more sensitively in juvenile mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fasting preferentially consumes lipids in visceral adipose tissues, whereas refeeding recovers lipids predominantly in subcutaneous adipose tissues, which indicated the significance of plasticity of adipose organs for fat distribution when subject to food deprivation or refeeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China ; Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second XiangYa Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Hao-Neng
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Chen-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Man
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Shu-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Ci-La
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Ren-Min Middle Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011 China.
authors.forename: Hou-De
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: Adipose tissue; Fasting and refeeding; Fat distribution; Obesity; Plasticity