Brown adipose tissue is a heat-generating organ and promising therapeutic target for treating obesity and metabolic diseases. Its presence in adults supports metabolic health, whereas its decline with age and weight gain might promote chronic disease. Efforts to understand its fascinating biology and translational potential continue to gain momentum.
Key advances
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The weather at the time of conception might determine brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity in adult life3.
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A secreted glycoprotein called olfactomedin 4 regulates sensory and sympathetic innervation in BAT4.
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Branched-chain fatty acids and the peroxisome contribute to the futile fatty acid synthesis–fatty acid oxidation cycle in BAT6.
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Lipolysis in brown adipocytes returns to the spotlight, with a new study showing that thermogenesis requires ATGL and HSL, refuting a previous model that lipolysis is dispensable for thermogenesis9.
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Crosstalk with resident regulatory T cells in BAT restrains local IFNγ production to maintain brown adipocyte mitochondrial homeostasis and thermogenesis10.
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References
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Lai, M. et al. Brown adipose tissue secretes OLFM4 to coordinate sensory and sympathetic innervation via Schwann cells. Nat. Commun. 16, 5206 (2025).
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Liu, X. et al. Peroxisomal metabolism of branched fatty acids regulates energy homeostasis. Nature 646, 1223–1231 (2025).
Schreiber, R. et al. Cold-induced thermogenesis depends on ATGL-mediated lipolysis in cardiac muscle, but not brown adipose tissue. Cell Metab. 26, 753–763.e7 (2017).
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Zammit, N. W. et al. Regulatory T cells in brown adipose tissue safeguard thermogenesis by restraining interferon-gamma-producing lymphocytes. Sci. Immunol. 10, eads0478 (2025).
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Clayton, B.E., Guertin, D.A. Brown adipose tissue remains hot. Nat Rev Endocrinol 22, 72–73 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-025-01225-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-025-01225-6
