ERα activates NAMPT/IL-33 signaling to enhance beige thermogenesis and metabolic fitness.

Abstract

Beige adipocytes are inducible thermogenic fat cells that emerge within white adipose tissue (WAT) in response to thermogenic stimuli and confer metabolic benefits. However, obesity impairs the generation of beige adipocytes, and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we show that obesity leads to a loss of adipose progenitor cells (APCs) in WAT, accompanied by reduced estrogen (E2) levels and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) expression. Supplementation with E2 or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an NAMPT-derived nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) precursor, restores beige adipogenesis in diet-induced obese mice. Mechanistically, estrogen receptor α (ERα) in APCs is required for beige fat formation by promoting <i>Nampt</i> transcription. We further demonstrate that NAMPT is both necessary and sufficient to drive APC proliferation and differentiation, with interleukin-33 (IL-33) acting downstream to mediate these effects. These findings uncover a critical ERα/NAMPT/IL-33 axis that preserves progenitor function and thermogenic capacity, offering a potential therapeutic strategy to combat obesity-induced beige fat failure and associated metabolic dysfunction.