Journal Article

Mouse strains to study cold-inducible beige progenitors and beige adipocyte formation and function

Berry, Daniel C., Jiang, Yuwei, Graff, Jonathan M.

2016

Overview

Cold temperatures induce formation of beige adipocytes, which convert glucose and fatty acids to heat, and may increase energy expenditure, reduce adiposity and lower blood glucose. This therapeutic potential is unrealized, hindered by a dearth of genetic tools to fate map, track and manipulate beige progenitors and ‘beiging’. Here we examined 12 Cre/inducible Cre mouse strains that mark adipocyte, muscle and mural lineages, three proposed beige origins. Among these mouse strains, only those that marked perivascular mural cells tracked the cold-induced beige lineage. Two SMA-based strains, SMA-Cre ERT2 and SMA-rtTA, fate mapped into the majority of cold-induced beige adipocytes and SMA-marked progenitors appeared essential for beiging. Disruption of the potential of the SMA-tracked progenitors to form beige adipocytes was accompanied by an inability to maintain body temperature and by hyperglycaemia. Thus, SMA-engineered mice may be useful to track and manipulate beige progenitors, beige adipocyte formation and function. Beige adipocytes are formed in response to cold and thought to contribute to organismal energy homeostasis. Here, the authors study a range of conditional and inducible RFP-expressing Cre mouse strains and find that SMA-based lines are the most useful for mapping beige adipocyte progenitor cells.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 13 / 13/106 / 13/31 / 14 / 14/19 / 14/63 / 631/1647/334/1874/345 / 692/163 / 692/308 / Adipocytes - classification / Adipocytes - metabolism / Animals / Blood Vessels - cytology / Blood Vessels - metabolism / Body temperature / Cells, Cultured / Cold Temperature / Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - physiology / Humanities and Social Sciences / Mice / Mice, Inbred Strains / multidisciplinary / Muscle, Skeletal - cytology / Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism / Science / Science (multidisciplinary)