Inhibition of Sam68 triggers adipose tissue browning

Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes; molecular mechanisms promoting energy expenditure may be utilized for effective therapy. Src-associated-in-mitosis-of-68kDa (Sam68) is potentially significant because knockout (KO) of Sam68 leads to markedly-reduced adiposity. Here we sought to determine the mechanism by which Sam68 regulates adiposity and energy homeostasis. We firstly found in Sam68-KO mice a significantly-reduced body weight with the difference explained entirely by decreased adiposity. Interestingly, these effects were not mediated by a difference in food intake, but rather associated with enhanced physical activity. When fed high-fat diet, Sam68-KO mice gained much lesser body weight and fat mass as compared to wild-type (WT) littermates and displayed an improved glucose and insulin tolerance. The brown adipose tissue (BAT), inguinal and epididymal depots are smaller and their adipocytes less hypertrophy in Sam68-KO mice than in WT littermates. The BAT of Sam68-KO mice exhibited reduced lipid stores and expressed higher levels of Ucp1 and key thermogenic and fatty-acid-oxidation genes. Similarly, depots of inguinal and epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) in Sam68-KO mice appeared browner, their multilocular Ucp1-positive cells were much more abundant, and the expression of Ucp1, Cidea, Prdm16 and Ppargc1a genes was greater as compared to WT controls, suggesting that loss of Sam68 also promotes WAT browning. Furthermore, in all fat depots of Sam68-KO mice, the expression of M2 macrophage markers were upregulated and M1 markers downregulated. Thus Sam68 plays a crucial role in the control of thermogenesis and may be targeted to combat obesity and associated disorders.