By using a combination of transcriptomics, primary adipocyte culture and experimental medicine approaches, we identified the sodium-dependent serotonin transporter SERT as a novel regulator of human brown adipose tissue function.
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References
McNeill, B. T. et al. Human brown adipose tissue as a therapeutic target: warming up or cooling down? Eur. J. Endocrinol. 184, 243–259 (2021). A Review article that discusses the potential of activating BAT as a therapeutic strategy.
Becher, T. et al. Brown adipose tissue is associated with cardiometabolic health. Nat. Med. 27, 58–65 (2021). This paper reports that individuals with detectable glucose uptake by BAT at room temperature are protected from cardiometabolic disease.
Blondin, D. P. et al. Human brown adipocyte thermogenesis is driven by beta2-AR stimulation. Cell Metab. 32, 287–300 (2020). This paper reports that different adrenoreceptors regulate human and rodent BAT thermogenesis.
Crane, J. D. et al. Inhibiting peripheral serotonin synthesis reduces obesity and metabolic dysfunction by promoting brown adipose tissue thermogenesis. Nat. Med. 21, 166–172 (2015). This paper demonstrates that reduced circulating peripheral serotonin increases BAT thermogenesis and protects against metabolic dysfunction in mice.
Luo, Y. et al. National prescribing patterns of antidepressants in the treatment of adults with major depression in the US between 1996 and 2015. Front. Psych. 11, 35 (2020). This paper demonstrates that SSRIs have been the most prescribed class of antidepressants over the past 20 years.
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This is a summary of: Suchacki, K. J. et al. The serotonin transporter sustains human brown adipose tissue thermogenesis. Nat. Metab. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00839-2 (2023).
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Inhibition of the serotonin transporter induces dysfunction of human brown adipose tissue. Nat Metab 5, 1264–1265 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00851-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00851-6