PKA Differentially Regulates Adipose Depots to Control Energy Expenditure

Adipose tissue comes in two types: white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores excess nutrients as lipids, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which consumes nutrients to generate heat. WAT can be broadly divided into subcutaneous and visceral depots, which have different characteristics, with subcutaneous deposition of lipids generally considered to be associated with better metabolic health than lipid stored in visceral depots (1-5). BAT is richer in mitochondria than WAT and consumes energy due to the uncoupling of BAT mitochondria through the expression of UCP1, which dissipates the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane to generate heat. This energy-consuming action of brown adipose has attracted attention as a potential mechanism to dissipate excess nutrient intake and storage associated with obesity. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase [(protein kinase A (PKA)] is a major regulator of adipose tissue function. In response...