Role of estradiol and testosterone in Ucp1 expression in brown/beige adipocytes

Activity of brown/beige adipocytes is higher in women than in men. The expression level of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is largely consistent with the thermogenic activity in brown/beige adipocytes. The present study examined the direct effects of sex hormones onUcp1 expression in brown adipocytes and beige adipocytes, which were differentiated from HB2 brown preadipocytes and 3T3 ‐L1 white preadipocytes, respectively; treatment with estradiol or testosterone was used during the early (days 0‐8) or late stage (days 8‐12) of brown adipogenesis and beige adipogenesis. On day 8 or day 12, cells were treated with or without isoproterenol (Iso), an agonist for the β‐adren ergic receptor, for 4 hours. Furthermore, the sex of cells was examined; thesex ‐determining region y gene, which is located on the y chromosome, was present in HB2 cells, but not in 3T3 ‐L1 cells, suggesting that HB2 cells and 3T3‐L1 cells are male and female cells, respectively. Treatment with 17β‐estradiol during the early stage of brown adipogenesis enhanced the responsiveness to Iso onUcp1 induction, whereas treatment during the late stage of brown adipogenesis decreasedUcp1 expression in unstimulated brown adipocytes. Estradiol decreased Iso ‐inducedUcp1 expression during the early stage of beige adipogenesis. Treatment with testosterone during the early stage of brown adipogenesis did not affectUcp1 expression but increased the responsiveness to Iso onUcp1 induction by the treatment dur...

Source: Cell Biochemistry and Function - November 8, 2018 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Mika Suzuki, Masaru Murakami, Mitsuyuki Shirai, Osamu Hashimoto, Teruo Kawada, Tohru Matsui, Masayuki Funaba Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research