BMP8 and activated brown adipose tissue in human newborns

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 5274 - 13
• Main Authors: Urisarri, Adela, González-García, Ismael, Estévez-Salguero, Ánxela, Pata, María P., Milbank, Edward, López, Noemi, Mandiá, Natalia, Grijota-Martinez, Carmen, Salgado, Carlos A., Nogueiras, Rubén, Diéguez, Carlos, Villarroya, Francesc, Fernández-Real, José-Manuel, Couce, María L., López, Miguel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 06.09.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 59; 631/443/319; 692/163/2743; 692/698/690/2816; 82/1; Adipose tissue; Adipose tissue (brown); Adipose Tissue, Brown - physiology; Birth Weight; Blood Glucose - analysis; Body temperature; Body Temperature - physiology; Bone morphogenetic protein 8; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins - blood; Cold stimuli; Cold Temperature; Fibroblast Growth Factors - blood; Hormones - blood; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Infrared imaging; Investigations; multidisciplinary; Neonates; Newborn babies; Physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thermogenesis; Thermogenesis - physiology; Thermography
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25456-z

The classical dogma states that brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a major role in the regulation of temperature in neonates. However, although BAT has been studied in infants for more than a century, the knowledge about its physiological features at this stage of life is rather limited. This has been mainly due to the lack of appropriate investigation methods, ethically suitable for neonates. Here, we have applied non-invasive infrared thermography (IRT) to investigate neonatal BAT activity. Our data show that BAT temperature correlates with body temperature and that mild cold stimulus promotes BAT activation in newborns. Notably, a single short-term cold stimulus during the first day of life improves the body temperature adaption to a subsequent cold event. Finally, we identify that bone morphogenic protein 8B (BMP8B) is associated with the BAT thermogenic response in neonates. Overall, our data uncover key features of the setup of BAT thermogenesis in newborns. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) in infants has been studied for more than a century, however, the knowledge about its physiological features is limited. Here, the authors investigate the link between BAT thermogenesis and the regulation of temperature in human new-borns with non-invasive infrared thermography.