Blood vessels in white adipose tissue (WAT) regulate β3-adrenergic and cold-induced beiging of WAT via a platelet-derived growth factor C (PDGFC)-mediated paracrine mechanism, according to new data. Global deletion of Pdgfc, endothelial-specific deletion of Kdr and pharmacological blockade of PDGFα all effectively prevented the WAT–beige transition. Conversely, PDGFC induced beiging of WAT and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice. The PDGF pathway might, thus, be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus.
References
Seki, T. et al. Endothelial PDGF-CC regulates angiogenesis-dependent thermogenesis in beige fat. Nat. Commun. 7, 12152 (2016)
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Holmes, D. Angiogenic factor regulates beiging. Nat Rev Endocrinol 12, 626 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.144
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.144