A purinergic call to arms from dying brown adipocytes

Brown adipocytes react to temperature and nutritional challenges by ramping up their metabolism and generating heat. This adaptation to changes in the environment is crucial for defending organismal homeostasis, but is impaired in obesity and during aging. Writing in Nature, Niemann et al. show that brown adipocytes become apoptotic under thermoneutral conditions and release ATP, which in turn is converted extracellularly into inosine. They further present evidence that pharmacological and genetic manipulations that enhance signalling of this purine metabolite stimulates thermogenesis in brown adipocytes and promotes metabolic health.

Automated summary

Brown adipocytes respond to temperature and nutrition challenges by increasing metabolism and generating heat. However, this response is impaired in obesity and aging. Researchers found that brown adipocytes undergo apoptosis and release ATP under thermoneutral conditions, which in turn stimulates thermogenesis and promotes metabolic health.