Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
Mol Med. 2011;17(7-8):736-40. doi: 10.2119/molmed.2011.00075. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) is a pleiotropic protein involved in glucose, lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis, with main tissues of expression being the liver and adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is responsible for cold-induced thermogenesis in rodents. The role of FGF21 in BAT biology has not been investigated. In the present study, wild-type C57BL/6J mice as well as a brown adipocyte cell line were used to explore the potential role of cold exposure and β3-adrenergic stimulation in the expression of FGF21 in BAT. Our results demonstrate that short-term exposure to cold, as well as β3-adrenergic stimulation, causes a significant induction of FGF21 mRNA levels in BAT, without a concomitant increase in FGF21 plasma levels. This finding opens new routes for the potential use of pharmaceuticals that could induce FGF21 and, hence, activate BAT thermogenesis.
成纤维细胞生长因子 21(FGF21)是一种具有多种功能的蛋白质,参与葡萄糖、脂质代谢和能量稳态的调节,其主要表达组织为肝脏和脂肪组织。棕色脂肪组织(BAT)负责啮齿动物的冷诱导产热。FGF21 在 BAT 生物学中的作用尚未得到研究。在本研究中,使用野生型 C57BL/6J 小鼠和棕色脂肪细胞系来探索冷暴露和β3-肾上腺素能刺激对 BAT 中 FGF21 表达的潜在作用。我们的结果表明,短期暴露于寒冷以及β3-肾上腺素能刺激会导致 BAT 中 FGF21 mRNA 水平显著诱导,而 FGF21 血浆水平没有相应增加。这一发现为可能诱导 FGF21 并激活 BAT 产热的药物的潜在用途开辟了新的途径。