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Brown Adipose Tissue: A Short Historical Perspective

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Brown Adipose Tissue

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2448))

Abstract

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) was first identified by Conrad Gessner in 1551, but it was only in 1961 that it was firmly identified as a thermogenic organ. Key developments in the subsequent two decades demonstrated that: (1) BAT is quantitatively important to non-shivering thermogenesis in rodents, (2) uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation through a mitochondrial proton conductance pathway is the central mechanism by which heat is generated, (3) uncoupling protein-1 is the critical factor regulating proton leakage in BAT mitochondria. Following pivotal studies on cafeteria-fed rats and obese ob/ob mice, BAT was then shown to have a central role in the regulation of energy balance and the etiology of obesity. The application of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the late 2000s confirmed that BAT is present and active in adults, resulting in renewed interest in the tissue in human energetics and obesity. Subsequent studies have demonstrated a broad metabolic role for BAT, the tissue being an important site of glucose disposal and triglyceride clearance, as well as of insulin action. BAT continues to be a potential target for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the support of many colleagues and students throughout my research career. Funding support from a number of organizations for my work on brown fat is also gratefully acknowledged—particularly the Medical Research Council (UK), the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the (former) Scottish Office.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity Biology Unit, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Paul Trayhurn

  2. Clore Laboratory, University of Buckingham, Buckingham, UK

    Paul Trayhurn

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Correspondence to Paul Trayhurn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Molecular Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    David A. Guertin

  2. ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Zürich, Switzerland

    Christian Wolfrum

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Trayhurn, P. (2022). Brown Adipose Tissue: A Short Historical Perspective. In: Guertin, D.A., Wolfrum, C. (eds) Brown Adipose Tissue. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2448. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2087-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2087-8_1

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