# Mechanisms by which adipocytes adapt to cool environmental temperatures

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $396,240

## Abstract

Abstract
Adipocytes are distributed throughout the body in discrete depots and the intrinsic cellular and metabolic
properties of different populations are shaped by the specific niches in which they reside. Whereas visceral
adipocytes exist within the body’s core, other subpopulations, including subcutaneous, marrow and dermal
adipocytes primarily exist in temperatures well below 37oC. Despite this, the role of environmental temperature
has largely been neglected in our consideration of adipocyte molecular and functional characteristics. Hints
within historical literature suggest that cooler adipose tissue temperatures are also associated with greater lipid
unsaturation. We have found similar correlations in rodents and humans, with cooler distal marrow adipocytes
having increased unsaturated lipid composition. Housing rats at thermoneutrality decreases formation of
unsaturated lipids in triacylglycerols of marrow adipocytes within the distal tibia and caudal vertebra. Warmer
temperature also decreases expression of Stearoyl CoA Desaturase I. Adaptation of cultured adipocytes to
31oC is associated with elevated oxygen consumption, altered nutrient selection, elevated anabolic and
catabolic lipid metabolism, and a genetic program for cold-adaptation. We hypothesize that cold adaptation
results in profound changes to gene expression and metabolism that allow adipocytes to function at
temperatures well below 37oC. To test these hypotheses, we propose a series of specific aims that when
successfully completed will provide fundamental insights into how cold-adapted adipocytes are functionally
different from their warmer counterparts. These studies will help uncover novel mechanisms of adaptive
thermogenesis and identify targets for pharmacologic interventions to increase energy expenditure and combat
incidence of obesity and diabetes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10050058
- **Project number:** 1R01DK121759-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ormond A MacDougald
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $396,240
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-07 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10050058

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10050058, Mechanisms by which adipocytes adapt to cool environmental temperatures (1R01DK121759-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10050058. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*