Identification of specific microbiota members that induce beige fat biogenesis in response to dietary cues.

Activation of brown and beige fat biogenesis promotes metabolic health in rodents and humans, but typically requires cold exposure or pharmacological activation of β-adrenergic receptors, which may pose cardiovascular risks. Dietary intervention represents a clinically viable alternative strategy to induce beige cells and thus enhance metabolic health, though the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified specific microbiota members in both mice and humans that promote browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) and ameliorate metabolic disorders in the context of a low-protein diet (LPD).

Inhibition of high-fat diet-induced inflammatory responses in adipose tissue by SF1-expressing neurons of the ventromedial hypothalamus.

Inflammation and thermogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT) at different sites influence the overall effects of obesity on metabolic health. In mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), inflammatory responses are less pronounced in inguinal WAT (ingWAT) than in epididymal WAT (epiWAT). Here we show that ablation and activation of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1)-expressing neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) oppositely affect the expression of inflammation-related genes and the formation of crown-like structures by infiltrating macrophages in ingWAT, but not in epiWAT, of HFD-fed mice, with these effects being mediated by sympathetic nerves innervating ingWAT.