Brown fat cells convert chemical energy into heat in response to cool temperatures—a form of thermogenesis that is induced indirectly via the sensory nervous system and a well-known signaling pathway. But certain white and beige fat cells can sense temperature directly to activate the suite of genes involved in heat generation, according to a new study. Bruce Spiegelman, the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, led the study.
