Crosstalk between KCNK3-Mediated Ion Current and Adrenergic Signaling Regulates Adipose Thermogenesis and Obesity

Abstract

Adrenergic stimulation promotes lipid mobilization and oxidation in brown and beige adipocytes, where the harnessed energy is dissipated as heat in a process known as adaptive thermogenesis. The signaling cascades and energy-dissipating pathways that facilitate thermogenesis have been extensively described, yet little is known about the counterbalancing negative regulatory mechanisms. Here, we identify a two-pore-domain potassium channel, KCNK3, as a built-in rheostat negatively regulating thermogenesis. Kcnk3 is transcriptionally wired into the thermogenic program by PRDM16, a master regulator of thermogenesis. KCNK3 antagonizes norepinephrine-induced membrane depolarization by promoting potassium efflux in brown adipocytes. This limits calcium influx through voltage-dependent calcium channels and dampens adrenergic signaling, thereby attenuating lipolysis and thermogenic respiration. Adipose-specific Kcnk3 knockout mice display increased energy expenditure and are resistant to hypothermia and obesity. These findings uncover a critical K⁺-Ca²⁺-adrenergic signaling axis that acts to dampen thermogenesis, maintain tissue homeostasis, and reveal an electrophysiological regulatory mechanism of adipocyte function.

Keywords: Adrenergic signaling; Brown fat; Calcium influx; Kcnk3; PKA signaling; Prdm16; Task-1; Thermogenesis; lipolysis.