Effect of follistatin-like 1 on brown adipose tissue degeneration in mice#br#

doi:10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.009

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Acta Anatomica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (3) : 337-344. DOI: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.009

Histology and embryology and Developmental Biology

Effect of follistatin-like 1 on brown adipose tissue degeneration in mice#br#

LIU Jia-xin¹, SUN Yu-han¹, SHANG Hong-wei², LU Xin², LU Tao¹, FANG Dong-liang¹, YANG Chun^2*, GAO Yan^1*

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the role of follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) in the degeneration of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in mice. Methods Wild-type male mice aged 6-8 weeks were divided into three groups and housed at 4 ℃，22 ℃ and 30 ℃ for three days，respectively. The mice BAT was weighed，and HE staining was then performed to observe its morphological changes. Real-time PCR，Western blotting，and immunohistochemistry（IHC）were used to detect the expression of thermogenic function-related genes，mitochondrial function-related genes and FSTL1 in mouse BAT. Additionally，Fstl1Pdgfrα^+/- mice and their littermate Fstl1Pdgfrα^+/+ control mice were selected to detect the expression of BAT thermogenic genes and mitochondrial-related genes. Results Compared with the mice in the 22 ℃ and 4 ℃ groups，those in the 30 ℃ group exhibited significantly increased diameter of BAT，a higher proportion of unilocular-like adipocytes，and markedly reduced expression levels of both FSTL1 and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) with a significant positive linear correlation observed between their expressions. Additionally，the expression of thermogenesis-related and mitochondria-associated genes was downregulated，indicating that BAT underwent morphological and functional deterioration. Meanwhile，we found that the adaptive thermogenic capacity and the expression of mitochondria-related genes in BAT were impaired in Fstl1Pdgfrα^+/-mice. Conclusion The decreased expression of FSTL1 is closely associated with BAT degeneration，and FSTL1 can inhibit the degeneration of BAT.

Key words

/ "> Brown adipose tissue│Thermoneutrality│Thermogenesis│Follistatin-like 1│Uncoupling protein 1│Immunohistochemistry│Mouse

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LIU Jia-xin, SUN Yu-han, SHANG Hong-wei, LU Xin, LU Tao, FANG Dong-liang, YANG Chun, GAO Yan. Effect of follistatin-like 1 on brown adipose tissue degeneration in mice#br#[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica. 2026, 57(3): 337-344 https://doi.org/10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.009

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