UCP1 in Brite/Beige Adipose Tissue Mitochondria Is Functionally Thermogenic

The phenomenon of white fat "browning," in which certain white adipose tissue depots significantly increase gene expression for the uncoupling protein UCP1 and thus supposedly acquire thermogenic, fat-burning properties, has attracted considerable attention. Because the mRNA increases are from very low initial levels, the metabolic relevance of the change is unclear: is the UCP1 protein thermogenically competent in these brite/beige-fat mitochondria? We found that, in mitochondria isolated from the inguinal "white" adipose depot of cold-acclimated mice, UCP1 protein levels almost reached those in brown-fat mitochondria. The UCP1 was thermogenically functional, in that these mitochondria exhibited…

• EC
  European Commission
• KO
  Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
• V
  Vetenskapsrådet
• SU
  Stockholms Universitet