A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Evidence for two types of brown adipose tissue in humans
Authors: Lidell ME, Betz MJ, Leinhard OD, Heglind M, Elander L, Slawik M, Mussack T, Nilsson D, Romu T, Nuutila P, Virtanen KA, Beuschlein F, Persson A, Borga M, Enerback S
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
Publication year: 2013
Journal: Nature Medicine
Journal name in source: NATURE MEDICINE
Journal acronym: NAT MED
Number in series: 5
Volume: 19
Issue: 5
First page : 631
Last page: 634
Number of pages: 4
ISSN: 1078-8956
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3017
Abstract
The previously observed supraclavicular depot of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans was commonly believed to be the equivalent of the interscapular thermogenic organ of small mammals. This view was recently disputed(1) on the basis of the demonstration that this depot consists of beige (also called brite) brown adipocytes, a newly identified type of brown adipocyte that is distinct from the classical brown adipocytes that make up the interscapular thermogenic organs of other mammals. A combination of high-resolution imaging techniques and histological and biochemical analyses showed evidence for an anatomically distinguishable interscapular BAT (iBAT) depot in human infants that consists of classical brown adipocytes, a cell type that has so far not been shown to exist in humans. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that infants, similarly to rodents, have the bona fide iBAT thermogenic organ consisting of classical brown adipocytes that is essential for the survival of small mammals in a cold environment.
The previously observed supraclavicular depot of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans was commonly believed to be the equivalent of the interscapular thermogenic organ of small mammals. This view was recently disputed(1) on the basis of the demonstration that this depot consists of beige (also called brite) brown adipocytes, a newly identified type of brown adipocyte that is distinct from the classical brown adipocytes that make up the interscapular thermogenic organs of other mammals. A combination of high-resolution imaging techniques and histological and biochemical analyses showed evidence for an anatomically distinguishable interscapular BAT (iBAT) depot in human infants that consists of classical brown adipocytes, a cell type that has so far not been shown to exist in humans. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that infants, similarly to rodents, have the bona fide iBAT thermogenic organ consisting of classical brown adipocytes that is essential for the survival of small mammals in a cold environment.
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