Evaluation of the role of immunomodulation on brown adipose tissue activity in immunodeficient mice

Abstract

The ability to respond to environment is crucial for offspring survival after leaving mother protection. The mammals must be able to rapidly control and maintain their body temperature after birth using an specialized tissue, the brown adipose tissue (BAT). Its abundance of mitochondria and the presence of uncoupling protein 1 -UCP1- allow this tissue to use storage energy to produce heat instead of ATP, ensuring temperature balance control, even in humans. Another threat that must be fought after birth is the encounter to pathogens and the integration of this two systems, immunity and temperature maintenance, guarantees efficient response to environment and survival. The crosstalk between them has been recently investigated as the role of the cytokines IL-10 and IL-33 on mitochondrial biogenesis and the damage on BAT in their absence. Thymus and brown adipose tissue seem to communicate but the exactly mechanism, consequences and in which period of life or development it occurs is still unknown. The aim of this study is to understand how BAT thermogenesis activity and development can be modulate by the immune system. For this purpose, nude and RAG-1 knockout (Rag1 KO) mice will be used as animal model and the development and function of BAT in response to immunodeficiency will be analysed, as will be the cytokines expressed in both tissues in embryonic and postnatal periods, with cold or adrenergic stimulus. (AU)