Biology subjects

Kristof, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Kristof, E..

12 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Thiamine transporter 2 and Janus kinase 2 inhibitor, fedratinib suppresses thermogenic activation of human neck area-derived adipocytes

IntroductionBrown adipocytes consume higher amounts of metabolic substrates and regulators including thiamine during adrenergic stimulation supporting heat generation. Our previous findings showed that fedratinib, a potent inhibitor of thiamine transporter (ThTr) 2 and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), reduced thermogenic activity; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. MethodsPrimary human subcutaneous (SC) and deep neck (DN)-derived adipocytes were treated with dibutyryl (db)-cAMP, fedratinib, or the combination of the two compounds after differentiation. Global transcriptomic analysis was performed by bulk RNA-sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were subjected to pathway enrichment analysis. We also utilized publicly available single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets and adiposetissue.org to correlate ThTr2 expression in adipose tissue to clinical parameters of patient cohorts. Amino acid flux was measured by metabolomics. Results and discussionThTr2 expression was observed exclusively enriched in the adipocytes cluster within human brown and white adipose tissue. In response to ThTr2 inhibition, the db-cAMP-stimulated upregulation of the canonical thermogenic markers and proton leak respiration, which associates with UCP1-dependent heat generation, was prevented in both adipocyte types. RNA-sequencing found 40 and 41 downregulated genes potentially underlying the metabolic changes in SC and DN-derived adipocytes, respectively, which were involved in various biological pathways, including transcriptional regulation of brown and beige adipocytes differentiation, signaling by interleukins, nicotinamide salvaging, and gene and protein expression by JAK/STAT signaling after interleukin-12 stimulation. The expression of recently identified thermogenesis regulators, such as transglutaminase (TGM) 2 and inhibitor of DNA binding (ID) 1, was also abrogated by ThTr2 inhibition during adrenergic stimulation. Intriguingly, glutamate transporter (GLT) 1 and L-amino acid transporter (LAT) 2 expression was also attenuated by fedratinib, restricting amino acid consumption. Finally, we found that the expression of ThTr2 in human white adipose tissue was inversely correlated with body mass index, waist-hip ratio, leptin secretion, and plasma insulin, glucose, cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels, supporting the importance of thiamine metabolism in adipocyte and metabolic health. O_LIFedratinib prevented adrenergic-stimulated upregulation of thermogenic genes. C_LIO_LIThe consumption of amino acids and the expression of their transporters decreased by fedratinib during adrenergic stimulation. C_LIO_LIOxygen consumption and proton leak respiration reflecting heat generation were abrogated by fedratinib. C_LI

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Iron uptake mediated by TFRC and secretion of transferrin types stimulate thermogenic activation in human adipocytes

Adrenergic-driven thermogenic activation of brown adipose tissue requires high amounts of nutrients including iron supporting mitochondrial biogenesis. This was governed by rapid gene expression changes in human cervical-derived brown adipocytes. Transferrin receptor 1 (TFRC) was strongly upregulated in response to dibutyryl-cAMP. Pharmacological inhibition and siRNA-mediated knockdown of TFRC during adrenergic stimulation decreased intracellular iron content and prevented elevation of oxygen consumption and induction of thermogenic markers. Deferoxamine-mediated iron chelation also showed comparable effects. Contrarily, the expression of ferroportin iron exporter was suppressed during activation, however, its pharmacological inhibition did not further increase thermogenesis. Brown adipocytes constitutively expressed and secreted high amounts of transferrin while the released melanotransferrin at activated condition was predicted to further augment iron influx stimulating heat production.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Ketone body driven lipid remodeling supports thermogenic adaptation to fasting

Metabolic adaptation to fasting may have conferred survival advantage to early humans and predicts weight gain caused by overnutrition in modern societies. Fasting suppresses brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis; however, it is unclear how BAT rewires cellular metabolism to balance between energy conservation and heat generation. Here, we report that BAT in mice under fasting and cold challenge consumed ketone bodies, specifically acetoacetate (AcAc). Ablating liver ketogenesis decreased, while enhancing hepatic AcAc output defended, body temperature in mice facing the dual challenge. Using stable isotope tracing in brown adipocytes in vitro combined with quantitative analysis of metabolic fluxes and lipidomics in BAT from genetic mouse models, we disentangled the two metabolic fates of AcAc - terminal oxidation in the mitochondria and lipid biosynthesis in the cytosol. Notably, AcAc-sourced carbon preferentially supported polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis in BAT, linking to the positive impact of intermittent fasting on lipid profiles in both mice and humans. Therefore, ketone body utilization by thermogenic adipocytes contributes to metabolic resilience of mammals and can be targeted to optimize benefits of dietary regimens.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Upregulation of Inhibitor of DNA Binding 1 and 3 is Important for Efficient Thermogenic Response in Human Adipocytes

Brown and beige adipocytes can be activated by {beta}-adrenergic agonist via cAMP-dependent signaling. Performing RNA-sequencing analysis in human cervical area-derived adipocytes, we found that dibutyryl-cAMP, which can mimic in vivo stimulation of browning and thermogenesis, enhanced the expression of browning and batokine genes and upregulated several signaling pathway genes linked to thermogenesis. We observed that the expression of Inhibitor of DNA binding and cell differentiation (ID) 1 and particularly ID3 was strongly induced by the adrenergic stimulation. The degradation of ID1 and ID3 elicited by the ID antagonist AGX51 during thermogenic activation prevented the induction of proton leak respiration that reflects thermogenesis and abrogated cAMP analogue-stimulated upregulation of thermogenic genes and mitochondrial complex I, II, and IV subunits. The presented data suggests that ID proteins contribute to efficient thermogenic response of adipocytes during adrenergic stimulation. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=117 SRC="FIGDIR/small/601234v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (16K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bf8235org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@fd89dcorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@165eeedorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12921ea_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Supraclavicular brown adipocytes originate from Tbx1+ myoprogenitors

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy as heat, contributing to temperature control, energy expenditure, and systemic homeostasis. In adult humans, BAT mainly exists in supraclavicular areas and its prevalence is associated with cardiometabolic health. However, the developmental origin of supraclavicular BAT remains unknown. Here, using genetic fate mapping in mice, we demonstrate that supraclavicular brown adipocytes do not develop from the Pax3+/Myf5+ epaxial dermomyotome that gives rises to interscapular BAT. Instead, the Tbx1+ lineage that specifies the pharyngeal mesoderm marks the majority of supraclavicular brown adipocytes. Tbx1Cre-mediated ablation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR{gamma}) or PR/SET Domain 16 (PRDM16), components of the transcriptional complex for brown fat determination, leads to supraclavicular BAT paucity or dysfunction, thus rendering mice more sensitive to cold exposure. Moreover, human deep neck BAT expresses higher levels of the TBX1 gene than subcutaneous neck white adipocytes. Taken together, our observations reveal location-specific developmental origins of BAT depots and call attention to Tbx1+lineage cells when investigating human relevant supraclavicular BAT.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Extracellular thiamine concentration influences thermogenic competency of differentiating neck area-derived human adipocytes

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy in the form of heat majorly via the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). The activation of BAT, which is enriched in the neck area and contains brown and beige adipocytes in humans, was considered as a potential therapeutic target to treat obesity. Therefore, finding novel agents that can stimulate the differentiation and recruitment of brown or beige thermogenic adipocytes are important subjects for investigation. The current study investigated how the availability of extracellular thiamine (vitamin B1), an essential cofactor of mitochondrial enzyme complexes that catalyze key steps in the catabolism of nutrients, affects the expression of thermogenic marker genes and proteins and subsequent functional parameters during ex vivo adipocyte differentiation. Therefore, we differentiated primary human adipogenic progenitors that were cultivated from subcutaneous (SC) or deep neck (DN) adipose tissues in the presence of gradually increasing thiamine concentrations during their 14 day long differentiation program. Higher thiamine levels resulted in increased expression of thiamine transporter 1 and 2 both at mRNA and protein levels in human neck area-derived adipocytes. Gradually increasing concentrations of thiamine led to increased basal, cAMP-stimulated, and proton-leak respiration along with elevated mitochondrial biogenesis of the differentiated adipocytes. The extracellular thiamine availability during adipogenesis determined the expression levels of UCP1, PGC1a, CKMT2, and other browning-related genes and proteins in primary SC and DN-derived adipocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Providing abundant amounts of thiamine further increased the thermogenic competency of the adipocytes. Our study raises the possibility of a novel strategy with long-term thiamine supplementation, which can enhance the thermogenic competency of differentiating neck area-derived adipocytes for preventing or combating obesity.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Human Abdominal Subcutaneous-Derived Active Beige Adipocytes Carrying FTO rs1421085 Obesity-Risk Alleles Exert Lower Thermogenic Capacity

White adipocytes store lipids, have a large lipid droplet and few mitochondria. Brown and beige adipocytes, which produce heat, are characterized by high expression of uncoupling protein (UCP) 1, multilocular lipid droplets, and large amounts of mitochondria. The rs1421085 T-to-C single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the human FTO gene interrupts a conserved motif for ARID5B repressor, resulting in adipocyte type shift from beige to white. We obtained abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue from donors carrying FTO rs1421085 TT (risk-free) or CC (obesity-risk) genotypes, isolated and differentiated their preadipocytes into beige adipocytes (driven by the PPAR{gamma} agonist rosiglitazone for 14 days), and activated them with dibutyryl-cAMP for 4 hours. Then, either the same culture conditions were applied for additional 14 days (active beige adipocytes) or it was replaced by a white differentiation medium (inactive beige adipocytes). White adipocytes were differentiated by their medium for 28 days. RNA-sequencing was performed to investigate the gene expression pattern of adipocytes carrying different FTO alleles and found that active beige adipocytes had higher brown adipocyte content and browning capacity compared to white or inactive beige ones when the cells were obtained from risk-free TT but not from obesity-risk CC genotype carriers. Active beige adipocytes carrying FTO CC had lower thermogenic gene (e.g., UCP1, PM20D1, CIDEA) expression and thermogenesis measured by proton leak respiration as compared to TT carriers. In addition, active beige adipocytes with CC alleles exerted lower expression of ASC1 neutral amino acid transporter (encoded by SLC7A10) and less consumption of Ala, Ser, Cys, and Gly as compared to risk-free carriers. We did not observe any influence of the FTO rs1421085 SNP on white and inactive beige adipocytes highlighting its exclusive and critical effect when adipocytes were activated for thermogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Availability of abundant thiamine determines efficiency of thermogenic activation in human neck area derived adipocytes

Brown/beige adipocytes express uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) that enables them to dissipate energy as heat. Systematic activation of this process can alleviate obesity. Human brown adipose tissues are interspersed in distinct anatomical regions including deep neck. We found that UCP1 enriched adipocytes differentiated from precursors of this depot highly expressed ThTr2 transporter of thiamine and consumed thiamine during thermogenic activation of these adipocytes by cAMP which mimics adrenergic stimulation. Inhibition of ThTr2 led to lower thiamine consumption with decreased proton leak respiration reflecting reduced uncoupling. In the absence of thiamine, cAMP-induced uncoupling was diminished but restored by thiamine addition reaching the highest levels at thiamine concentrations larger than present in human blood plasma. Thiamine is converted to thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) in cells; the addition of TPP to permeabilized adipocytes increased uncoupling fueled by TPP-dependent pyruvate dehydrogenase. ThTr2 inhibition also hampered cAMP-dependent induction of UCP1, PGC1a, and other browning marker genes, and thermogenic induction of these genes was potentiated by thiamine in a concentration dependent manner. Our study reveals the importance of amply supplied thiamine during thermogenic activation in human adipocytes which provides TPP for TPP-dependent enzymes not fully saturated with this cofactor and by potentiating the induction of thermogenic genes. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=179 SRC="FIGDIR/small/490662v3_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (45K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f8b9a9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1653d1corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18f3266org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@35f78d_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HighlightsO_LIAbundant thiamine is required for efficient activation of UCP1 dependent thermogenesis in human deep neck derived adipocytes C_LIO_LIInhibition of thiamine transporters leads to decreased thermogenic response C_LIO_LIIn stimulated adipocytes, thiamine supply provides extra thiamine pyrophosphate for increasing pyruvate dehydrogenase activity to generate sufficient fuel of UCP1 dependent respiration C_LIO_LIAdrenergic stimulation of thermogenic gene expression is potentiated by thiamine in a concentration dependent manner C_LI

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mitophagy mediates beige to white transition of human primary subcutaneous adipocytes ex vivo

Brown and beige adipocytes have multilocular lipid droplets, express uncoupling protein (UCP) 1, and promote energy expenditure. In rodents, when the stimulus of browning subsides, parkin-dependent mitophagy is activated and dormant beige adipocytes persist. In humans, however, the molecular events during beige to white transition were not studied in detail. In this study, human primary subcutaneous abdominal preadipocytes were differentiated to beige for 14 days, then either the beige culture conditions were applied for additional 14 days or it was replaced by a white medium. Control white adipocytes were differentiated by their specific cocktail for 28 days. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor {gamma}-driven beige differentiation resulted in increased mitochondrial biogenesis, UCP1 expression, fragmentation, and respiration as compared to white. Morphology, UCP1-content, mitochondrial fragmentation, and basal respiration of the adipocytes that underwent transition, along with the induction of mitophagy, were similar to control white adipocytes. However, white converted beige adipocytes had a stronger responsiveness to dibutyril-cAMP, which mimics adrenergic stimulus, than the control white ones. Gene expression patterns showed that removal of mitochondria in transitioning adipocytes may involve both parkin-dependent and independent pathways. Preventing entry of beige adipocytes into white transition can be a feasible way to maintain elevated thermogenesis and energy expenditure.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

BMP7 increases UCP1-dependent and independent thermogenesis with a unique gene expression program in human neck area derived adipocytes

White adipocytes contribute to energy storage accumulating lipid droplets, whereas brown and beige adipocytes mainly function in dissipating energy as heat primarily via the action of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP7) has been shown to drive brown adipocyte differentiation in mice. In this study, we have performed global RNA-sequencing and functional assays on adipocytes obtained from subcutaneous (SC) and deep-neck (DN) depots of human neck and differentiated with or without BMP7. We found that BMP7 did not influence differentiation but upregulated browning markers, including UCP1 mRNA and protein. BMP7 also enhanced mitochondrial DNA content, fragmentation, and levels of oxidative phosphorylation complex subunits along with PGC1 and p-CREB upregulation. Furthermore, both UCP1-dependent proton leak and UCP1-independent, creatine driven substrate cycle coupled thermogenesis were augmented upon BMP7 treatment in SC and DN derived adipocytes. The gene expression analysis shed light also on possible role of genes unrelated to thermogenesis so far, including ACAN, CRYAB, and ID1, which were amongst the highest upregulated ones by BMP7 treatment in both types of adipocytes. Together, our study shows that BMP7 strongly upregulates thermogenesis in human neck area derived adipocytes, along with genes, which might have a supporting role in energy expenditure.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Irisin stimulates the release of CXCL1 from differentiating human subcutaneous and deep-neck derived adipocytes via upregulation of NFκB pathway

Thermogenic brown and beige adipocytes play an important role in combating obesity. Recent studies in rodents and humans have indicated that these adipocytes release cytokines, termed "batokines". Irisin was discovered as a polypeptide regulator of beige adipocytes released by myocytes, primarily during exercise. We performed global RNA sequencing on adipocytes derived from human subcutaneous and deep-neck precursors, which were differentiated in the presence or absence of irisin. Irisin did not exert an effect on the expression of characteristic thermogenic genes, while upregulated genes belonging to various cytokine signaling pathways. Out of the several upregulated cytokines, CXCL1, the highest upregulated, was released throughout the entire differentiation period, and predominantly by differentiated adipocytes. Deep-neck area tissue biopsies also showed a significant release of CXCL1 during 24 hours irisin treatment. Gene expression data indicated upregulation of the NF[kcy]B pathway upon irisin treatment, which was validated by an increase of p50 and decrease of I[kcy]B protein level, respectively. Continuous blocking of the NF{kappa}B pathway, using a cell permeable inhibitor of NF{kappa}B nuclear translocation, significantly reduced CXCL1 release. The released CXCL1 exerted a positive effect on the adhesion of endothelial cells. Together, our findings demonstrate that irisin stimulates the release of a novel "batokine", CXCL1, via upregulation of NF{kappa}B pathway in neck area derived adipocytes, which might play an important role in improving tissue vascularization.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Transcriptome analysis of browning human neck area adipocytes reveals strong influence by the FTO intronic SNP variant in addition to tissue and PPARγ specific regulation

Brown adipocytes, abundant in deep-neck (DN) area in humans, are thermogenic with anti-obesity potential. FTO pro-obesity rs1421085 T-to-C SNP shifts differentiation program towards white adipocytes in subcutaneous fat. Human adipose-derived stromal cells were obtained from subcutaneous neck (SC) and DN fat of 9 donors, of which 3-3 carried risk-free (T/T), heterozygous or obesity-risk (C/C) FTO genotypes. They were differentiated to white and brown (long-term PPAR{gamma} stimulation) adipocytes, then global RNA sequencing was performed and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared. DN and SC progenitors had similar adipocyte differentiation potential but differed in DEGs. DN adipocytes displayed higher browning features according to ProFAT or BATLAS scores and characteristic DEG patterns revealing associated pathways which were highly expressed (thermogenesis, interferon, cytokine, retinoic acid, with UCP1 and BMP4 as prominent network stabilizers) or downregulated (particularly extracellular matrix remodelling) compared to SC ones. Part of DEGs in either DN or SC browning was PPAR{gamma}-dependent. Presence of the FTO obesity-risk allele suppressed the expression of mitochondrial and thermogenesis genes with a striking resemblance between affected pathways and those appearing in ProFAT and BATLAS, underlining the importance of metabolic and mitochondrial pathways in thermogenesis. Among overlapping regulatory influences which determine browning and thermogenic potential of neck adipocytes, FTO genetic background has a so far not recognized prominence.

cell biology↗