Aim: Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is the crucial protein for non-shivering thermogenesis in placental mammals, but the molecular mechanism of thermogenic proton transport is still unknown. Its histidine pair motif (H145 and H147) has been claimed as a critical element for proton translocation, leading to the paradigmatic “cofactor model” of the UCP1 thermogenic mechanism. The histidine pair motif is mutated (H145Q) in the naked mole-rat (NMR, Heterocephalus glaber) UCP1, suggesting disrupted thermogenic function in line with NMR's poor thermoregulatory abilities. Here, we investigated the functionality NMR versus mouse UCP1 to scrutinized the importance of the histidine pair motif. Methods: Respiratory analyses for UCP1 function were performed in isolated brown adipose tissue mitochondria from NMR and mouse. The histidine pair motif of NMR UCP1 was manipulated through mutations, ectopically overexpressed in HEK293 cells and subjected to plate-based respirometry for functional comparison. Results: Isolated BAT mitochondria of NMRs display guanosine diphosphate-sensitive respiration, indicative of thermogenically competent UCP1. Overexpressed wildtype NMR UCP1 demonstrates proton leak activity comparable to mouse UCP1. Neither restoration of the histidine pair motif nor full ablation of the motif through a double mutation affects UCP1-dependent respiration. Conclusions: The UCP1 variant of the NMR, a warm-adapted fossorial species, excludes the histidine pair motif as crucial for UCP1 thermogenic function. Collectively, we show that functional investigation into natural sequence variation of UCP1 not only casts new light on the thermophysiology of NMRs but also represents a powerful tool to delineate structure-function relationships underlying the enigmatic thermogenic proton transport of UCP1.

Objective: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is recognized as a systemic condition, with clinical features potentially modifiable by dietary intervention. Diets high in saturated fats and refined sugars significantly increase PD risk and exacerbate motor and non-motor symptoms, yet precise metabolic mechanisms are unclear. Our objective here was to investigate the interplay between diet and PD-associated phenotypes from a metabolic perspective.

Methods: We explored PARK7 KO mice under chronic glycative stress induced by prolonged high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet. We investigated metabolic consequences by combining classical metabolic phenotyping (body composition, glucose tolerance, indirect calorimetry, functional assays of isolated mitochondria) with metabolomics profiling of biospecimens from mice and PD patients.

Results: We found this obesogenic diet drives loss of fat and muscle mass in early-onset PD mice, with a selective vulnerability of glycolytic myofibers. We show that PD mice and early-onset familial PD patients are under pervasive glycative stress with pathological accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), including N-α-glycerinylarginine (α-GR) and N-α-glycerinyllysine (α-GK), two previously unknown glycerinyl-AGE markers.

Conclusions: Our results offer the first proof for a direct link between diet, accumulation of AGEs and genetics of PD. We also expand the repertoire of clinically-relevant glycative stress biomarkers to potentially define at-risk patients before neurological or metabolic symptoms arise, and/or to monitor disease onset, progression, and effects of interventions.

Mutations in FUS and TARDBP cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the precise mechanisms of selective motor neuron degeneration remain unresolved. To address if pathomechanisms are shared across mutations and related to either gain- or loss-of-function, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing across isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuron types, harbouring FUS P525L, FUS R495X, TARDBP M337V mutations or FUS knockout. Transcriptional changes were far more pronounced in motor neurons than interneurons. About 20% of uniquely dysregulated motor neuron transcripts were shared across FUS mutations, half from gain-of-function. Most indicated mitochondrial impairments, with attenuated pathways shared with mutant TARDBP M337V as well as C9orf72-ALS patient motor neurons. Mitochondrial motility was impaired in ALS motor axons, even with nuclear localized FUS mutants, demonstrating shared toxic gain-of-function mechanisms across FUS- and TARDBP-ALS, uncoupled from protein mislocalization. These early mitochondrial dysfunctions unique to motor neurons may affect survival and represent therapeutic targets in ALS.

The discovery and rejuvenation of metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans have offered a new approach to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. Beyond its accomplished role in adaptive thermogenesis, BAT secretes signaling molecules known as “batokines”, which are instrumental in regulating whole-body metabolism via autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine action. In addition to the intrinsic BAT metabolite-oxidizing activity, the endocrine functions of these molecules may help to explain the association between BAT activity and a healthy systemic metabolic profile. Herein, we review the evidence that underscores the significance of BAT-derived metabolites, especially highlighting their role in controlling physiological and metabolic processes involving thermogenesis, substrate metabolism, and other essential biological processes. The conversation extends to their capacity to enhance energy expenditure and mitigate features of obesity and its related metabolic complications. Thus, metabolites derived from BAT may provide new avenues for the discovery of metabolic health-promoting drugs with far-reaching impacts. This review aims to dissect the complexities of the secretory role of BAT in modulating local and systemic metabolism in metabolic health and disease.

Promoting brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity innovatively targets obesity and metabolic disease. While thermogenic activation of BAT is well understood, the rheostatic regulation of BAT to avoid excessive energy dissipation remains ill-defined. Here, we demonstrate that adenylyl cyclase 3 (AC3) is key for BAT function. We identified a cold-inducible promoter that generates a 5′ truncated AC3 mRNA isoform (Adcy3-at), whose expression is driven by a cold-induced, truncated isoform of PPARGC1A (PPARGC1A-AT). Male mice lacking Adcy3-at display increased energy expenditure and are resistant to obesity and ensuing metabolic imbalances. Mouse and human AC3-AT are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, unable to translocate to the plasma membrane and lack enzymatic activity. AC3-AT interacts with AC3 and sequesters it in the endoplasmic reticulum, reducing the pool of adenylyl cyclases available for G-protein-mediated cAMP synthesis. Thus, AC3-AT acts as a cold-induced rheostat in BAT, limiting adverse consequences of cAMP activity during chronic BAT activation. 

While mechanisms controlling uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) in thermogenic adipocytes play a pivotal role in non-shivering thermogenesis, it remains unclear whether F₁Fo-ATP synthase function is also regulated in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Here, we show that inhibitory factor 1 (IF1, encoded by Atp5if1), an inhibitor of ATP synthase hydrolytic activity, is a critical negative regulator of brown adipocyte energy metabolism. In vivo, IF1 levels are diminished in BAT of cold-adapted mice compared to controls. Additionally, the capacity of ATP synthase to generate mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) through ATP hydrolysis (the so-called “reverse mode” of ATP synthase) is increased in brown fat. In cultured brown adipocytes, IF1 overexpression results in an inability of mitochondria to sustain the MMP upon adrenergic stimulation, leading to a quiescent-like phenotype in brown adipocytes. In mice, adeno-associated virus-mediated IF1 overexpression in BAT suppresses adrenergic-stimulated thermogenesis and decreases mitochondrial respiration in BAT. Taken together, our work identifies downregulation of IF1 upon cold as a critical event for the facilitation of the reverse mode of ATP synthase as well as to enable energetic adaptation of BAT to effectively support non-shivering thermogenesis.

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer and is crucial for cancer progression, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Understanding the role of metabolic reprogramming in cancer initiation could help identify prevention strategies. To address this, we investigated metabolism during acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), the first step of pancreatic carcinogenesis. Glycolytic markers were elevated in ADM lesions compared with normal tissue from human samples. Comprehensive metabolic assessment in three mouse models with pancreas-specific activation of KRAS, PI3K, or MEK1 using Seahorse measurements, nuclear magnetic resonance metabolome analysis, mass spectrometry, isotope tracing, and RNA sequencing analysis revealed a switch from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis in ADM. Blocking the metabolic switch attenuated ADM formation. Furthermore, mitochondrial metabolism was required for de novo synthesis of serine and glutathione (GSH) but not for ATP production. MYC mediated the increase in GSH intermediates in ADM, and inhibition of GSH synthesis suppressed ADM development. This study thus identifies metabolic changes and vulnerabilities in the early stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis.

The molecular evolution of the mammalian heater protein UCP1 is a powerful biomarker to understand thermoregulatory strategies during species radiation into extreme climates, such as aquatic life with high thermal conductivity. While fully aquatic mammals lost UCP1, most semiaquatic seals display intact UCP1 genes, apart from large elephant seals. Here, we show that UCP1 thermogenic activity of the small-bodied harbor seal is equally potent compared to terrestrial orthologs, emphasizing its importance for neonatal survival on land. In contrast, elephant seal UCP1 does not display thermogenic activity, not even when translating a repaired or a recently highlighted truncated version. Thus, the thermogenic benefits for neonatal survival during terrestrial birth in semiaquatic pinnipeds maintained evolutionary selection pressure on UCP1 function and were only outweighed by extreme body sizes among elephant seals, fully eliminating UCP1-dependent thermogenesis.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a heater organ that expresses thermogenic uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) to maintain high body temperatures during cold stress. BAT thermogenesis is considered an overarching mammalian trait, but its evolutionary origin is unknown. We show that adipose tissue of marsupials, which diverged from eutherian mammals ~150 million years ago, expresses a nonthermogenic UCP1 variant governed by a partial transcriptomic BAT signature similar to that found in eutherian beige adipose tissue. We found that the reconstructed UCP1 sequence of the common eutherian ancestor displayed typical thermogenic activity, whereas therian ancestor UCP1 is nonthermogenic. Thus, mammalian adipose tissue thermogenesis may have evolved in two distinct stages, with a prethermogenic stage in the common therian ancestor linking UCP1 expression to adipose tissue and thermal stress. We propose that in a second stage, UCP1 acquired its thermogenic function specifically in eutherians, such that the onset of mammalian BAT thermogenesis occurred only after the divergence from marsupials.