A Smooth Muscle-Like Origin for Beige Adipocytes

•Ribosomal profiling provides a molecular portrait of thermogenic adipocytes in vivo•Beige, but not classical brown cells, express smooth muscle-like genes•Smooth muscle-like cells are precursors for beige adipocytes in vivo•PRDM16 converts smooth muscle cells into thermogenic adipocytes in vitro

SummaryThermogenic UCP1-positive cells, which include brown and beige adipocytes, transform chemical energy into heat and increase whole-body energy expenditure. Using a ribosomal profiling approach, we present a comprehensive molecular description of brown and beige gene expression from multiple fat depots in vivo. This UCP1-TRAP data set demonstrates striking similarities and important differences between these cell types, including a smooth muscle-like signature expressed by beige, but not classical brown, adipocytes. In vivo fate mapping using either a constitutive or an inducible Myh11-driven Cre demonstrates that at least a subset of beige cells arise from a smooth muscle-like origin. Finally, ectopic expression of PRDM16 converts bona fide vascular smooth muscle cells into Ucp1-positive adipocytes in vitro. These results establish a portrait of brown and beige adipocyte gene expression in vivo and identify a smooth muscle-like origin for beige cells.

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