Brown and beige fat: development, function and therapeutic potential

There is much interest in brown and beige adipocytes, as their thermogenic activities can suppress weight gain and metabolic disease in rodent models. The authors review recent data that have provided new insights into the development and biology of brown and beige adipocytes and critically assess the possibilities for manipulating these cells to combat obesity and its associated diseases. Adipose tissue, best known for its role in fat storage, can also suppress weight gain and metabolic disease through the action of specialized, heat-producing adipocytes. Brown adipocytes are located in dedicated depots and express constitutively high levels of thermogenic genes, whereas inducible 'brown-like' adipocytes, also known as beige cells, develop in white fat in response to various activators. The activities of brown and beige fat cells reduce metabolic disease, including obesity, in mice and correlate with leanness in humans. Many genes and pathways that regulate brown and beige adipocyte biology have now been identified, providing a variety of promising therapeutic targets for metabolic disease.