Brown adipose tissue (BAT) facilitates thermogenesis through fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Paradoxically, BAT simultaneously increases anabolic fatty acid synthesis (FAS), the reason for which is unclear. We provide evidence that thermogenic mitochondria within brown adipocytes export TCA cycle intermediates that fuel de novo lipid synthesis, in part to protect against metabolic stress.
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References
Cohen, P. & Kajimura, S. The cellular and functional complexity of thermogenic fat. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 22, 393–409 (2021). A review article that discusses futile metabolic cycles.
Jung, S. M. et al. In vivo isotope tracing reveals the versatility of glucose as a brown adipose tissue substrate. Cell Rep. 36, 109459 (2021). This paper reports FAS–FAO coupling.
Sharma, A. K., Khandelwal, R. & Wolfrum, C. Futile cycles: emerging utility from apparent futility. Cell Metab. 36, 1184–1203 (2024). A review article that discusses futile cycles.
Martinez Calejman, C. et al. mTORC2-AKT signaling to ATP-citrate lyase drives brown adipogenesis and de novo lipogenesis. Nat Commun. 11, 575 (2020). This paper reports knock out of Acly in BAT.
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This is a summary of: Korobkina, E. D. et al. Brown fat ATP-citrate lyase links carbohydrate availability to thermogenesis and guards against metabolic stress. Nat. Metab. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01143-3 (2024).
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Cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthesis shields mitochondria from stress in brown adipocytes. Nat Metab 6, 2037–2038 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01152-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01152-2