Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids. 2019 Jan;1864(1):29-36. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2018.05.003. Epub 2018 May 12.
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy as heat and its activity correlates with leanness in human adults. Understanding the mechanisms behind the activation of BAT and the process of "browning", i.e. the appearance of inducible brown adipocytes called beige or brite (brown-in-white) cells in white adipose tissue (WAT), is of great interest for developing novel therapies to combat obesity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small transcriptional regulators that control gene expression in a variety of tissues, including WAT and BAT. Recently, miRNAs were reported to regulate browning. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to fully understand the miRNA networks that are involved in the control of brown and beige/brite adipocytes. Particularly, most miRNAs have so far been studied in mice, underlining the importance of additional human studies. In this review, we focus on the regulation of brown fat by miRNAs including their role in promoting or inhibiting the browning process. In recent years, RNA-based therapeutical approaches have entered clinical trials for treatment of other diseases, thus miRNAs could potentially be used to enhance brown and beige fat mass and activity as novel therapies against overweight and its complications.
棕色脂肪组织（BAT）消耗能量产生热量，其活性与成年人的瘦度相关。了解 BAT 激活的机制和“褐色化”过程，即在白色脂肪组织（WAT）中出现诱导性棕色脂肪细胞，即米色或 Brite（白色中的棕色）细胞的过程，对于开发新的肥胖症治疗方法非常重要。MicroRNAs（miRNAs）是一种小的转录调节因子，可以在多种组织中控制基因表达，包括 WAT 和 BAT。最近，有研究报道称 miRNAs 可以调节褐色化。然而，为了全面了解参与棕色和米色/Brite 脂肪细胞调控的 miRNA 网络，还需要进一步研究。特别是，迄今为止，大多数 miRNA 都在小鼠中进行了研究，这突显了进行额外的人类研究的重要性。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了 miRNAs 对棕色脂肪的调节作用，包括它们在促进或抑制褐色化过程中的作用。近年来，基于 RNA 的治疗方法已进入治疗其他疾病的临床试验，因此，miRNAs 有可能被用作新型疗法来增强棕色和米色脂肪的质量和活性，以对抗超重及其并发症。
