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miR-133 links to energy balance through targeting Prdm16 Free
Weiyi Liu 1,* and Shihuan Kuang2,3,*
1Peptide Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92137, USA
2Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
3Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA *Correspondence to:Weiyi Liu, E-mail: weliu@salk.edu; Shihuan Kuang, E-mail: skuang@purdue.edu
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 5, Issue 6, December 2013, 432-434,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjt036

Adipose (fat) tissues contain white, brown, and beige adipocytes. White adipocytes store extra energy in the form of lipids; ectopic and excessive accumulation of white adipose in the body leads to overweight and obesity, which often causes insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Brown adipocytes, in contrast, contain hundreds of mitochondria per cell, dissipate energy into heat, and are negatively correlated to body weight and insulin resistance (Wu et al., 2013). Under cold temperature or β-adrenergic drug stimulation, a population of ‘beige’ or ‘brite’ adipocytes can be formed in the subcutaneous white adipose, containing intermediate levels of mitochondria and consume energy (Wu et al., 2013; Ye et al., 2013). Both brown and beige adipocytes are considered as good fats; and expansion or activation of these types of adipocytes thus represents a novel therapeutic strategy against obesity and diabetes.