Regulation of beige fat development by mtorc1 and autophagy
Project Leader:
Dr. Meilian LiuAbstract
Brown and Beige (or brite) adipose tissues burn lipid by converting chemical energy into heat, and have been considered as a new therapeutic target to counteract obesity. The regulation of thermogenic function in adipose tissue at the transcriptional level has been extensively studied in the past several years. However, the upstream signaling pathways that control the transcriptional machinery of thermogenic genes and effector mechanisms in brown or beige adipocytes remain largely unknown.
Brown and brown‐like (beige or brite) adipocytes in adipose tissue have strong anti‐obesity and anti‐ diabetic benefits. However, the mechanisms underlying the browning of white adipose tissue remains largely unknown. This proposed study investigates how mTORC1 and autophagy pathways cooperate to regulate the recruitment and activation of beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue. The results from this study may lead to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases.