Chapter 11 - Circadian rhythms in white adipose tissue
Introduction
The prevalence of obesity is taking on enormous proportions. Obesity is defined by the World Health Organisation as the accumulation of excessive fat tissue, to the point that it may impair health (World Health Organisation, 2011). Fat, or white adipose tissue (WAT), is a metabolically active tissue and a key player in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Once the amount of fat has accumulated to such an extent that it hinders tissue function, insulin resistance of WAT may occur. Both human and rodent studies point toward an important role for the circadian timing system in energy metabolism. Disturbed day/night rhythms are closely correlated with the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we briefly present the circadian system and describe the development of WAT and its depot-specific characteristics and innervation, we discuss energy storage in WAT and review recent findings that link circadian rhythmicity to adipose tissue biology and obesity.
Section snippets
Circadian rhythms
From an evolutionary perspective, circadian (Latin; circa diem = approximately a day) rhythms may have ensured continuous energy availability throughout the 24-h day for organisms relying on photosynthesis (Hut and Beersma, 2011), in addition to protecting the replicating DNA from high ultraviolet radiation exposure during daytime (Asher and Schibler, 2011). In mammals, the circadian timing system allows the anticipation of recurring events during the course of a day, along with temporal
White adipose tissue
Adipose tissue is one of the largest organs in the body, making up percentages of bodyweight from 5% in lean men to over 50% in the morbidly obese. In mammals, three functionally different types of adipose tissue have been described: BAT, WAT, and bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT). The role of BMAT is poorly investigated. It appears to be related to the control of hematopoiesis and osteoblastogenesis by acting as an energy store, but also via the release of paracrine factors (Casteilla et al.,
Conclusion
The role of the circadian timing system in adipose biology represents an exciting new field of study that will give us a greater insight into the pathogenesis of obesity and its health consequences. The discovery of the ob/ob gene and its product leptin, along with the other adipokines, revealed an intriguing endocrine system that regulates feeding and metabolism via communication between adipose tissue and the biological clock in the brain. The monogenetic mutations in this system leading to
Acknowledgments
We thank Wilma Verweij for correction of the manuscript. Rianne van der Spek was financially supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Foundation (ZonMw TOP−91207036).
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Cited by (21)
Stem cells and the circadian clock
2017, Developmental BiologyCitation Excerpt :Such data are of interest given that lithium chloride has been shown to inhibit adipose stem cell adipogenesis in vitro and to disrupt the cell proliferation occurring before adipocyte differentiation (Aratani et al., 1987). Clocks of adipocytes drive rhythmic expression and secretion of various cytokines secreted by adipose tissue, the so-called adipokines (van der Spek et al., 2012). These adipokines have important functions in general physiology, but also pathology including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and pathophysiology of the central nervous system (Leal Vde and Mafra, 2013; Ouchi et al., 2011).
Circadian control of glucose metabolism
2014, Molecular MetabolismCitation Excerpt :These clocks are present in both the white adipose tissues (WAT, the predominant form of adipose tissue) and the brown adipose tissues (BAT, the major center for heat production) [108,109]. Several adipokines, such as leptin, adiponectin and visfatin, are also secreted in a circadian manner [110]. Leptin not only regulates satiety, but also stimulates energy expenditure and increases insulin sensitivity.
Diurnal regulation of lipid metabolism and applications of circadian lipidomics
2014, Journal of Genetics and GenomicsCitation Excerpt :Plasma lipidomics can potentially be used to monitor treatment outcomes following pharmacologic or behavioral interventions that aim to reduce circadian misalignment and improve sleep. Whilst disruption of circadian function can lead to weight gain, obesity itself may contribute to reduced circadian amplitude (van der Spek et al., 2012). In mice with a mutation causing loss of function of leptin (ob/ob mice), diurnal activity rhythms are attenuated and clock gene expression rhythms are dampened in liver and adipose tissue (Ando et al., 2005).
Hypothalamic clocks and rhythms in feeding behaviour
2013, Trends in NeurosciencesCitation Excerpt :In addition to the rhythmicity generated by central clocks, peripherally derived energy signals to which the brain responds (e.g., leptin, insulin, CCK, ghrelin, corticosterone, glucose, fatty acids) are produced or released in a highly rhythmic fashion. Furthermore, the circadian rhythms in most of these signals are not simply a passive response to rhythmic food intake, but are generated by circadian clocks in the peripheral tissues [31,35,37,87]. Receptors for leptin and ghrelin are present on SCN cells [88,89] and exogenous administration of ghrelin to cultured SCN slices has been shown to shift clock-gene rhythms [90].
Nutrition and the circadian timing system
2012, Progress in Brain ResearchCitation Excerpt :To date, the physiological function of the molecular clocks in stomach and intestine remains to be determined. The function of the adipose tissue clock is reviewed elsewhere in this volume (van der Spek et al., 2012). Peripheral clocks also show an autonomic cycle of approximately (but not exactly) 24 h (Brown et al., 2008; Yamazaki et al., 2000) that needs synchronization with the external light–dark cycle.
Circadian regulation of lipid metabolism
2016, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society