Yuridia Guzman
Research Mentor(s): Hiroyuki Mori
Mentor Department: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Authors: Yuridia Guzman, Hiroyuki Mori, Ormond MacDougald
Session: Session 5 (2:00pm – 2:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 66
Abstract
Adipocyte temperature adaptations remain largely explored, particularly when temperatures drop below 37°C. While some adipose tissues are at the body core, where the tissue temperature maintains a stable temperature of 37°C, other adipocytes are located in the body shell, where the temperature decreases with increased distance from the core and varies with ambient conditions. Through this study, we are researching the unknown mechanisms adipose tissue takes to adapt to cool temperatures. In practice, adipocytes were cultured at 37°C to mimic the body core temperature and at 31°C to mimic the body shell temperature, respectively. Adipocytes cultured at 31°C have shown increased anabolic and catabolic lipid metabolism and oxygen consumption. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are chemical changes to proteins after transcribing and translating. There is an unknown possibility that PTMs can alter adipocyte temperature adaptations. By chance, we discovered that the amount of lysine acetylation significantly decreased in adipocytes cultured at 31°C compared to those cultured at 37°C. Lysine acetylation is adding an acetyl group from acetyl-coenzyme A (Acetyl CoA) to the lysine side chain residing in a protein. This method of PTM leads to a neutralization of part or the entire protein’s positive charge and impacts metabolism and signal transduction. In this study, Acetyl CoA is the substrate used to determine why there is a decrease in protein acetylation at 31°C. We hypothesize that KAT activity may decrease, KDAC activity may increase, and acetyl-CoA substrate will decrease at 31°C.
