Taf7l Modulates Brown Adipose Tissue Formation

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an essential role in metabolic homeostasis by dissipating energy via thermogenesis through uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1). Previously, we reported that the TATA-binding protein Associated Factor 7L (Taf7l) is an important regulator of white adipose tissue (WAT) differentiation. Here, we show that Taf7l also serves as a molecular switch between brown fat and muscle lineages in vivo and in vitro. In adipose tissue, Taf7l containing TFIID complexes associate with PPAR? to mediate DNA looping between distal enhancers and core promoter elements. Our findings suggest that presence of the tissue-specific Taf7l subunit in TFIID functions to promote long-range chromatin interactions during BAT lineage specification. Overall design: mRNA-seq expression profiling wild type and Taf7l knockout interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT)

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Zhou H, Wan B, Grubisic I, Kaplan T, Tjian R