SYK kinase mediates brown fat differentiation and activation

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism influences glucose homeostasis and metabolic health in mice and humans. Sympathetic stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors in response to cold induces proliferation, differentiation, and UCP1 expression in pre-adipocytes and mature brown adipocytes. Here we show that spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is upregulated during brown adipocyte differentiation and activated by β-adrenergic stimulation. Deletion or inhibition of SYK, a kinase known for its essential roles in the immune system, blocks brown and white pre-adipocyte proliferation and differentiation in vitro, and results in diminished expression of Ucp1 and other genes regulating brown adipocyte function in response to β-adrenergic stimulation. Adipocyte-specific SYK deletion in mice reduces BAT mass and BAT that developed consisted of SYK-expressing brown adipocytes that had escaped homozygous Syk deletion. SYK inhibition in vivo represses β-agonist-induced thermogenesis and oxygen consumption. These results establish SYK as an essential mediator of brown fat formation and function.