Cold-triggered adaptation of the brown adipose tissue (BAT) promotes increased non-shivering thermogenesis and helps maintain body temperature. Here, we demonstrate that the secreted protein developmental endothelial locus-1 (DEL-1) acts as a regulator of cold-induced BAT adaptation. DEL-1 was expressed in the vascular endothelium of the BAT and its expression was upregulated upon cold exposure. By interacting with αvβ3 integrin on brown adipocyte progenitor cells, DEL-1 promoted their proliferation in a manner dependent on AKT signaling and glycolysis activation. Compared to DEL-1-sufficient mice, DEL-1-deficient mice or mice expressing a non-integrin-binding mutant of DEL-1 carrying an Asp-to-Glu substitution in its RGD motif, displayed decreased cold tolerance. This phenotype was associated with impaired BAT adaptation to cold and reduced brown adipocyte progenitor cell proliferation. Conversely, endothelial-specific DEL-1 overexpression in DEL-1-deficient mice restored the BAT thermogenic response to cold. Together, the DEL-1/αvβ3 integrin-dependent endothelial-brown adipocyte progenitor cell crosstalk promotes cold-stimulated BAT adaptation. This knowledge could be potentially harnessed therapeutically for promoting BAT expansion towards improving systemic metabolism.
Institut(e)Institute of Pancreatic Islet Research (IPI) Helmholtz Institute for Metabolism, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG)
FörderungenNIH/NIDCR German Center for Child and Adolescent Health DZG Innovation Funds (Microbiome and Inter-Organ Metabolomics) Tourism-SMWK (Sonderzuweisung zur Unterstuetzung profilbestimmender Struktureinheiten der TUD) Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture