Key result
Maternal lack of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis increased lean mass and improved glucose tolerance in adult male mice offspring, while higher gestational BAT thermogenesis impaired metabolic health.
Why the study?
It is commonly assumed that metabolic adaptations to cold climates are the result of transgenerational selection, but whether minor changes in maternal thermogenesis directly alter offspring metabolic phenotype across a single generation was unclear.
Gestational brown adipose tissue activation negatively affects the metabolic health of male offspring, but these effects can be reversed by an active lifestyle.
Maternal BAT thermogenesis may program male offspring metabolism; hypothesis-generating and requires human validation before any clinical consideration.
Environmental temperature is a driving factor in evolution, and it is commonly assumed that metabolic adaptations to cold climates are the result of transgenerational selection. Here, we show in mice that even minor changes in maternal thermogenesis alter the metabolic phenotype already in the next generation. Male offspring of mothers genetically lacking brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis display increased lean mass and improved glucose tolerance as adults, while females are unaffected. The phenotype is replicated in offspring of mothers kept at thermoneutrality; conversely, mothers with higher gestational BAT thermogenesis produce male offspring with reduced lean mass and impaired glucose tolerance. Running-wheel exercise reverses the offspring's metabolic impairments, pointing to the muscle as target of these fetal programming effects. Our data demonstrate that gestational BAT activation negatively affects metabolic health of the male offspring; however, these unfavorable fetal programming effects may be negated by active lifestyle.
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Oelkrug et al. (2020) studied Metabolic phenotype. Maternal brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis deficiency vs. Higher gestational BAT thermogenesis was evaluated on Lean mass and glucose tolerance in adult offspring. Maternal lack of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis increased lean mass and improved glucose tolerance in adult male mice offspring, while higher gestational BAT thermogenesis impaired metabolic health.
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