The control of UCP1 is dissociated from that of PGC-1α or of mitochondriogenesis as revealed by a study using β-less mouse brown adipocytes in culture

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 580; no. 19; pp. 4661 - 4666
• Main Authors: Lehr, Lorenz, Canola, Kriss, Asensio, Cedric, Jimenez, Maria, Kuehne, Françoise, Giacobino, Jean-Paul, Muzzin, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 21.08.2006
• Subjects: Brown adipocytes; Mitochondriogenesis; PGC-1α; UCP1; β-less mice; β-less mice; UCP1; Brown adipocytes; PGC-1α; Mitochondriogenesis
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.07.037

In rodent brown adipose tissue, the β-adrenergic signaling is believed, by an action on PGC-1α, to control UCP1 expression and mitochondriogenesis. We addressed this hypothesis using β 1/β 2/β 3-adrenoceptor knockout (β-less) brown adipocytes in primary culture. In these cells: (a) proliferation and differentiation into multilocular cells were normal; (b) UCP1 mRNA expression was dramatically decreased (by 93%), whereas PGC-1α and mtTFA mRNA expressions were not; (c) UCP1, PGC-1α and COX IV protein expressions were decreased by 97%, 62% and 22%, respectively. Altogether the data show a dissociation between the control of UCP1, which is mostly β-adrenoceptor-dependent and that of PGC-1α and of mitochondriogenesis which are not.