PUBLICATION

The zebrafish heart harbors a thermogenic beige fat depot analog of human epicardial adipose tissue

Authors
Morocho-Jaramillo, P.A., Kotlar-Goldaper, I., Zakarauskas-Seth, B.I., Purfürst, B., Filosa, A., Sawamiphak, S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-240321-2
Date
2024
Source
Cell Reports   43: 113955113955 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Filosa, Alessandro, Sawamiphak, Suphansa
Keywords
CP: Developmental biology, CP: Metabolism, ectotherm, epicardial adipose tissue, thermogenic, transcriptome, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Adipose Tissue/metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue, Beige*/metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue, Brown/metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue, White/metabolism
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Epicardial Adipose Tissue
  • Humans
  • Pericardium/metabolism
  • Thermogenesis
  • Zebrafish*
PubMed
38507414 Full text @ Cell Rep.
Abstract
Epicardial adipose tissue (eAT) is a metabolically active fat depot that has been associated with a wide array of cardiac homeostatic functions and cardiometabolic diseases. A full understanding of its diverse physiological and pathological roles is hindered by the dearth of animal models. Here, we show, in the heart of an ectothermic teleost, the zebrafish, the existence of a fat depot localized underneath the epicardium, originating from the epicardium and exhibiting the molecular signature of beige adipocytes. Moreover, a subset of adipocytes within this cardiac fat tissue exhibits primitive thermogenic potential. Transcriptomic profiling and cross-species analysis revealed elevated glycolytic and cardiac homeostatic gene expression with downregulated obesity and inflammatory hallmarks in the teleost eAT compared to that of lean aged humans. Our findings unveil epicardium-derived beige fat in the heart of an ectotherm considered to possess solely white adipocytes for energy storage and identify pathways that may underlie age-driven remodeling of human eAT.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping