Open AccessHeart over mind: metabolic control of white adipose tissue and liver
Author(s) -
Nakamura Michinari,
Sadoshima Junichi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
embo molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.923
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1757-4684
pISSN - 1757-4676
DOI - 10.15252/emmm.201404749
Subject(s) - white adipose tissue , adipose tissue , crosstalk , energy homeostasis , metabolic syndrome , endocrinology , brown adipose tissue , medicine , biology , homeostasis , obesity , physics , optics
Increasing evidence suggests that the heart controls the metabolism of peripheral organs. Olson and colleagues previously demonstrated that miR‐208a controls systemic energy homeostasis through the regulation of MED 13 in cardiomyocytes (Grueter et al , [Grueter CE, 2012]). In their follow‐up study in this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine , white adipose tissue ( WAT ) and liver are identified as the physiological targets of cardiac MED 13 signaling, most likely through cardiac‐derived circulating factors, which boost energy consumption by upregulating metabolic gene expression and increasing mitochondrial numbers (Baskin et al , [Baskin KK, 2014]). In turn, increased energy expenditure in WAT and the liver confers leanness. These findings strengthen the evidence of metabolic crosstalk between the heart and peripheral tissues through cardiokines and also set the stage for the development of novel treatments for metabolic syndrome.