Nature Communications (Apr 2020)

Wireless optogenetics protects against obesity via stimulation of non-canonical fat thermogenesis

  • Kazuki Tajima,
  • Kenji Ikeda,
  • Yuji Tanabe,
  • Ella A. Thomson,
  • Takeshi Yoneshiro,
  • Yasuo Oguri,
  • Marc D. Ferro,
  • Ada S. Y. Poon,
  • Shingo Kajimura

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15589-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Cardiovascular risks of cold exposure and the subsequent activation of the β3-AR pathway limit the application of beige fat thermogenesis for the treatment of obesity. Here, the authors show that optogenetics light-activated Ca2+ cycling in adipocytes triggers a fat-specific “cold-mimetic” thermogenesis response protecting mice against diet-induced obesity.