These are the intrinsic, self-sustaining molecular timing mechanisms, also known as peripheral circadian oscillators, that reside within fat cells and the surrounding stromal vascular fraction. Adipose tissue clocks regulate local, time-of-day specific functions, including the efficiency of lipid storage, glucose uptake, and the rhythmic release of critical adipokines. Proper function and entrainment of these tissue clocks are absolutely essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis.
Origin
The concept arises directly from the field of chronobiology, specifically the recognition that the body’s master clock in the hypothalamus has subsidiary, or peripheral, clocks operating autonomously in nearly every organ, including metabolically active adipose tissue. This realization shifts the clinical understanding of fat tissue from a passive energy reservoir to an actively regulated, time-sensitive endocrine system.
Mechanism
Core clock genes, such as Bmal1 and Clock, drive a complex transcriptional-translational feedback loop within the adipocytes themselves. This molecular machinery dictates the rhythmic expression of specific enzymes and transcription factors that control key metabolic processes like lipogenesis and lipolysis. By doing so, the adipose tissue clock precisely synchronizes fat metabolism with the external environmental light-dark and feeding-fasting cycles.
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