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Review
. 2017 Jan;28(1):19-31.
doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2016.09.003. Epub 2016 Sep 28.

Epigenetic Regulation of the Thermogenic Adipose Program

Audrey Sambeat  1 , Olga Gulyaeva  2 , Jon Dempersmier  1 , Hei Sook Sul  3
Affiliations
Review

Epigenetic Regulation of the Thermogenic Adipose Program

Audrey Sambeat et al. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

In contrast to white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores energy in the form of triglycerides, brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy by producing heat to maintain body temperature by burning glucose and fatty acids in a process called adaptive thermogenesis. The presence of an inducible thermogenic adipose tissue, and its beneficial effects for maintaining body weight and glucose and lipid homeostasis, has raised intense interest in understanding the regulation of thermogenesis. Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms underlying the thermogenic adipose program may provide excellent targets for therapeutics against obesity and diabetes. Here we review recent research on the role of epigenetics in the thermogenic gene program, focusing on DNA methylation and histone modifications.

Keywords: DNA methylation; adipose; browning; epigenetic; histone modifications.; thermogenesis.

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Figures

Key Figure
Key Figure. Epigenetic regulation of thermogenic adipose program
Both the expression and activity of epigenetic effectors are modulated by environmental signals and external stimuli such as cold temperature and nutritional or hormonal status. Chromatin-modifying enzymes add (writers) or remove (erasers) epigenetic marks on lysine (K) residues of histone H3, such as histone methylation (Me) or acetylation (Ac), thereby affecting transcription of the thermogenic genes and also metabolic enzymes in adipocytes. Thus, epigenetics allows the integration of various external stimuli leading to activation (+) or repression (−) of the thermogenic adipose program that contributes to energy homeostasis. Intracellular metabolic pathways regulate, in a feedback loop, epigenetics at the level of metabolites such as FAD, NAD+ and acetyl-CoA but also thermogenesis by impacting on fatty acids and glucose availability. However, more effort is required to further elucidate epigenetic molecular mechanisms and their specific targets and validate their physiological relevance for thermogenic adipose program.
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