Thermogenic ability of uncoupling protein 1 in beige adipocytes in mice.

Chronic adrenergic activation leads to the emergence of beige adipocytes in some depots of white adipose tissue in mice. Despite their morphological similarities to brown adipocytes and their expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a thermogenic protein exclusively expressed in brown adipocytes, the beige adipocytes have a gene expression pattern distinct from that of brown adipocytes. However, it is unclear whether the thermogenic function of beige adipocytes is different from that of classical brown adipocytes existing in brown adipose tissue.

Uncoupling protein 1 contributes to fat-reducing effect of leptin.

Leptin is proposed to reduce body fat by increasing energy expenditure, in addition to decreasing food intake, through the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. To confirm this, we investigated the effects of leptin on whole body energy expenditure, BAT functions and adiposity in wild-type (WT) mice, and compared with those in mice deficient in uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a key molecule for BAT thermogenesis. Chronic hyperleptinemia induced by adenovirus gene transfer reduced food intake in both WT and UCP1-KO mice.

Rice-based mucosal vaccine as a global strategy for cold-chain- and needle-free vaccination.

Capable of inducing antigen-specific immune responses in both systemic and mucosal compartments without the use of syringe and needle, mucosal vaccination is considered ideal for the global control of infectious diseases. In this study, we developed a rice-based oral vaccine expressing cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) under the control of the endosperm-specific expression promoter 2.3-kb glutelin GluB-1 with codon usage optimization for expression in rice seed.

Day-night difference in β3-adrenoceptor agonist-induced energy expenditure: Contribution of brown fat thermogenesis and physical activity.

β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonist, a drug that reduces body fat, stimulates lipomobilization from white adipose tissue (WAT) and thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT). To test the day-night difference in the effects of β3-AR agonist, in the present study, we examined the responses of lipomobilization and energy expenditure to CL316,243 (CL) during the daytime at 10:00 and nighttime at 22:00 in mice kept in a 12 h light-dark cycle with lights on from 07:00. CL injection increased plasma free fatty acid to the same extent at 10:00 and 22:00.