Brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue is a fat tissue rich in mitochondria that generates heat by oxidizing fuel rather than storing it mainly for long-term energy use.

Uncoupling protein 1: A mitochondrial inner-membrane protein that dissipates the proton gradient as heat instead of using it to make ATP. This protein enables brown fat mitochondria to release energy as heat.
Adipocyte: A cell specialized for storing or mobilizing energy as lipid. Brown adipocytes are the heat-producing cells that make up this tissue.
Cold acclimation: Physiological adjustment to repeated or sustained exposure to cold. Repeated cold exposure can increase brown-fat activity and thermogenic capacity.
Neonatal thermoregulation: The processes newborns use to maintain a stable body temperature. Brown fat is especially important for heat production in human newborns.
Browning of white adipose tissue: The acquisition of thermogenic features by cells within white adipose tissue. Researchers study whether this process can expand heat-producing capacity beyond established brown-fat depots.
Non-shivering thermogenesis: Heat production that does not rely on involuntary skeletal-muscle contractions. Brown fat is a major source of this form of heat production.
White adipose tissue: Fat tissue that primarily stores energy in large lipid droplets. Its energy-storage role contrasts with brown fat’s specialized heat production.
Obesity: A chronic condition involving excess body fat that can impair health. Researchers investigate whether increasing brown-fat energy expenditure can affect body weight.
Hibernation: A seasonal state of reduced metabolism and body temperature in certain animals. Brown fat helps some hibernating mammals rewarm without relying on shivering.
Beta-3 adrenergic receptor: A cell-surface receptor that responds to catecholamines and can stimulate lipolysis in adipose tissue. Drugs targeting this receptor have tested whether brown fat can be activated therapeutically.

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