Cold-Induced Adaptations to the Proteome of Mouse Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue (scWAT) Reveal Proteins Relevant for Tissue Remodeling and Plasticity

White adipose tissue (WAT) is a dynamic organ capable of modulating its mass in response to positive energy balance via hyperplasia or hypertrophy of adipocytes, developing inducible brown adipocytes (‘browning’), and altering mitochondrial content and function in response to stimuli such as cold exposure. Most notably, cold stimulation and release of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve terminals can drive lipolysis in WAT (decreasing lipid droplet and adipocyte cell size) and promote increased neurite density and browning in neurite-dense regions. While several RNA-sequencing studies have been performed in WAT, very little work has been done to investigate changes to the adipose proteome during tissue remodeling. Here, we conducted the first comprehensive proteomic analysis of inguinal subcutaneous (sc)WAT after 24 or 72hrs of cold exposure in mice. We have identified significant pathways impacted by cold stimulation that are involved in tissue remodeling, including proteins with functions in mitochondrial dynamics, the immune system, and the nervous system.