Endotrophin triggers adipose tissue fibrosis and metabolic dysfunction

Kai Sun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

98 Scopus citations


We recently identified endotrophin as an adipokine with potent tumour-promoting effects. However, the direct effects of local accumulation of endotrophin in adipose tissue have not yet been studied. Here we use a doxycycline-inducible adipocyte-specific endotrophin overexpression model to demonstrate that endotrophin plays a pivotal role in shaping a metabolically unfavourable microenvironment in adipose tissue during consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD). Endotrophin serves as a powerful co-stimulator of pathologically relevant pathways within the 'unhealthy' adipose tissue milieu, triggering fibrosis and inflammation and ultimately leading to enhanced insulin resistance. We further demonstrate that blocking endotrophin with a neutralizing antibody ameliorates metabolically adverse effects and effectively reverses metabolic dysfunction induced during HFD exposure. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that endotrophin exerts a major influence in adipose tissue, eventually resulting in systemic elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and insulin resistance, and the results establish endotrophin as a potential target in the context of metabolism and cancer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number3485
Number of pages1
JournalNature communications
StatePublished - 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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