“Turning up the heat”: role of neurotrophic batokines in the postnatal maturation and remodeling of brown adipose tissue in deer mice

In altricial Peromyscus mice, the developmental shift to endothermy accompanies the establishment of the brown adipose tissue sympathetic neural network. Cultured slices of neonatal BAT secreted high quantities of two predicted neurotrophic batokines: S100b and neuregulin-4, but surprisingly low levels of the classic neurotrophic factor, NGF. Despite low NGF, neonatal BAT-conditioned media was highly neurotrophic. Cold-exposed adults use all three factors to dramatically remodel BAT, suggesting that BAT-neuron communication is life-stage dependent.

“Turning up the heat”: role of neurotrophic batokines in the postnatal maturation and remodeling of brown adipose tissue in deer mice Journal Articles