Cited by 4,810Adipose Tissue and MetabolismAdipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic DiseasesPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors

A PGC1-α-dependent myokine that drives brown-fat-like development of white fat and thermogenesis

Open access
Boström, Pontus, Wu, Jun, Jedrychowski, Mark P., Korde, Anisha, Ye, Li, Lo, James C., Rasbach, Kyle A., Boström, Elisabeth Almer +10 more·2012·Nature

Abstract

Exercise benefits a variety of organ systems in mammals, and some of the best-recognized effects of exercise on muscle are mediated by the transcriptional co-activator PPAR-γ co-activator-1 α (PGC1-α). Here we show in mouse that PGC1-α expression in muscle stimulates an increase in expression of FNDC5, a membrane protein that is cleaved and secreted as a newly identified hormone, irisin. Irisin acts on white adipose cells in culture and in vivo to stimulate UCP1 expression and a broad program of brown-fat-like development. Irisin is induced with exercise in mice and humans, and mildly increased irisin levels in the blood cause an increase in energy expenditure in mice with no changes in movement or food intake. This results in improvements in obesity and glucose homeostasis. Irisin could be therapeutic for human metabolic disease and other disorders that are improved with exercise.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature10777

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  • Irisin was originally found to exert browning of white adipose tissue, increase energy expenditure, improve insulin sensitivity, and induce weight loss through upregulation of UCP1 in exercised mice overexpressing PGC-1α.

    “When originally described, it was found to exert browning of WAT, increase energy expenditure, improve insulin sensitivity, and induce weight loss, through upregulation of UCP1 in exercised mice overexpressing PGC-1α [57].”

    From The Role of Exercise in the Interplay between Myokines, Hepatokines, Osteokines, Adipokines, and Modulation of Inflammation for Energy Substrate Redistribution and Fat Mass Loss: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [57]

    The section “Irisin reduces diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in vivo” reports increased UCP1 expression and oxygen consumption, improved glucose tolerance, reduced fasting insulin, and slight weight loss in high-fat-fed mice given Fndc5-expressing adenovirus (page unavailable). The cited paper also links irisin to exercise and muscle PGC1α, but it does not report that this full set of outcomes was observed in exercised mice overexpressing PGC1α. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The myokines irisin and BAIBA directly induce WAT browning both in vitro and in vivo by upregulating genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, FAO, oxidative phosphorylation, and thermogenesis.

    “The myokines irisin [57] and BAIBA [104] have been described to directly induce WAT “browning” both in vitro and in vivo, by upregulating genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, FAO, oxidative phosphorylation, and thermogenesis (1).”

    From The Role of Exercise in the Interplay between Myokines, Hepatokines, Osteokines, Adipokines, and Modulation of Inflammation for Energy Substrate Redistribution and Fat Mass Loss: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [57]

    The Abstract and the section on cultured white adipose cells report that irisin/Fndc5 induces browning in vitro and in vivo, with increased UCP1 and mitochondrial gene expression. The cultured-cell section also reports increased mitochondrial density and a thermogenic gene program, but the passages do not establish upregulation of fatty-acid-oxidation genes. This citation is attached to irisin; BAIBA has a separate citation and is not assessed here. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • FNDC-5 drives development of brown-fat-like cells in white adipose tissue, which enhances lipid metabolism/oxidation via mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 activity.

    “FNDC-5 is known to drive development of brown-fat-like cells in WAT, which enhances lipid metabolism/oxidation via mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) activity [12].”

    From β-hydroxy-β -methylbutyrate supplementation benefits the effects of resistance training on body fat reduction via increased irisin expression in white adipose tissue (2021) · cites this paper as [12]

    The section on cultured white adipose cells reports that Fndc5 induces a brown-fat-like phenotype, increases UCP1 expression, and raises largely uncoupled oxygen consumption. The in-vivo section also reports browning of subcutaneous white fat. Neither passage establishes increased lipid oxidation specifically through UCP1 activity; the paper measures UCP1 expression and respiration, not that causal link. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Only the irisin precursor FNDC5 was able to promote differentiation of stromal vascular cells isolated from white adipose tissue from beige mice (browning).

    “However, only the irisin precursor FNDC5 was able to promote the differentiation of stromal vascular cells isolated from WAT from beige mice (browning phenomenon; Bostrom et al., 2012).”

    From Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases (2018) · cites this paper as Bostrom et al., 2012

    The Results section, “Fndc5 robustly induces a brown fat gene program in cultured white adipose cells” (page not available), reports that Fndc5 induced browning markers during differentiation of primary white-fat cells. But “only” is too strong: the same section reports a smaller effect from BMP-7. The Methods section, “Primary cell cultures and recombinant protein treatments” (page not available), identifies the stromal-vascular cells as coming from inguinal fat of BALB/C mice, not mice described as beige. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Irisin promotes white adipose tissue browning, originally identified through animal studies and subsequently confirmed in humans.

    “Irisin is a myokine that promotes white adipose tissue browning, originally identified through animal studies [38] and subsequently confirmed in humans [39].”

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Authors
Boström, P., Wu, J., Jedrychowski, M. P., Korde, A., Ye, L., Lo, J. C., Rasbach, K. A., Boström, E. A., Choi, J. H., Long, J. Z., Kajimura, S., Zingaretti, M. C., Vind, B. F., Tu, H., Cinti, S., Højlund, K., Gygi, S. P., & Spiegelman, B. M.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Marche Polytechnic University (IT)
  • Odense University Hospital (DK)
  • LakePharma (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Spiegelman, Bruce M.
Venue
Nature
Published
2012-01
Volume
481
Issue
7382
Pages
463-468
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2085397620
Cited by
4,810
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 309 · 2025: 347 · 2024: 361 · 2023: 392 · 2022: 453 · 2021: 408 · 2020: 393 · 2019: 331 · 2018: 318 · 2017: 294 · 2016: 275 · 2015: 292 · 2014: 283 · 2013: 229 · 2012: 120
FWCI
198.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Università Politecnica delle Marche (Università Politecnica delle Marche) (submittedVersion)
  • Scholarworks@UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K99DK087853, DK54477, R56DK054477, R01DK031405, DK-31405, R01DK061562, R01DK054477, R37DK031405)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors
Keywords
irisin, FNDC5, PGC-1α, myokines, brown adipose tissue browning, white adipose tissue, thermogenesis, UCP1, physical activity, energy expenditure, obesity, glucose homeostasis, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease treatment
MeSH terms
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha, Uncoupling Protein 1, Animals, Adipose Tissue, Brown, Cells, Cultured, Energy Metabolism, Gene Expression Regulation, Hormones, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Ion Channels, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Mice, Transgenic, Obesity, Physical Conditioning, Animal, Plasma, Transcription Factors, Exercise, Trans-Activators, Culture Media, Conditioned, Adipocytes, Cell Respiration, Thermogenesis, Models, Animal, Mitochondrial Proteins, Muscle Cells, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Subcutaneous Fat, Mice, Adipose Tissue, White

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