Biology of brown adipose tissue: view from the chair

Brown adipose tissue is generally referred to as a specialized adipose tissue, as it presents many features of an adipose tissue. However, its specific morphology, innervation, vascularization and body location, as well as its unique physiological role in regulatable thermogenesis, highlight its peculiarity. Whereas the mechanism for energy dissipation by brown adipocytes as heat was elucidated several years ago, recent work has advanced our knowledge of these cells in terms of precursors, cell lineage and transcriptional regulators. The discovery of a proximity at the developmental level between brown adipocytes and myocytes will influence future research on human brown adipocytes with the aim of facilitating the burning of fatty acids in order to prevent or alleviate certain metabolic diseases. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.