Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41872744›Full record

ArticleCellular & molecular biology letters2026

Ash2l deficiency impairs adipose tissue thermogenesis and exacerbates obesity in mice.

Yajie Hu, Jialin Zhao, Chenxi Xiao, Jiayao Liu, Jie Xu, Shenhan Xu, Wen Zhong, Ruoxue Chen, Mengting He, Chunxiang Fan and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cellular & molecular biology letters, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Yajie HuPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Jialin ZhaoPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Chenxi XiaoPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Jiayao LiuPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Jie XuPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Shenhan XuPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Wen ZhongPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Ruoxue ChenPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Mengting HePhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Chunxiang FanPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. fanxiang1258@163.com.
Jun ChangPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. jchang@fudan.edu.cn.
Xinhua LiuPhenome Research Center of TCM, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Pharmacophenomics Laboratory, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. liuxinhua@fudan.edu.cn.

Funding

Leading Talent Training Project of Shanghai Pudong New Area Health Commission PWRl2023-08Shanghai Pudong New Area Tradittional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Innovation Development Demonstration Pilot Project YC-2023-0202 and YC-2023-0607
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEpigenetic regulation plays a pivotal role in adipocyte development and thermogenesis. Ash2l, a key component of the COMPASS (Complex of Proteins Associated with Set1) histone methyltransferase, regulates gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. This study explored the role of Ash2l in adipose tissue thermogenesis and obesity-related metabolic dysfunction.

methodsAsh2l was initially identified through transcriptomic analysis, and its expression was further validated in mouse models of high-fat diet (HFD), cold exposure, and CL316,243 stimulation. In vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments were conducted to assess the role of Ash2l in adipogenesis and thermogenesis. To knockdown Ash2l in vivo, adeno-associated viruses carrying short hairpin RNA targeting Ash2l (AAV-shAsh2l) were injected into either the brown adipose tissue (BAT) or the inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT). The functional consequences of Ash2l deficiency were evaluated in mice under room temperature, cold exposure, and HFD conditions. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) was employed as an exploratory analysis to identify genomic regions associated with Ash2l during adipocyte development.

resultsOur findings demonstrate that Ash2l modulates the expression of both adipogenic and thermogenic genes in adipocytes. Mice with BAT- or iWAT-knockdown of Ash2l displayed defective cold-induced thermogenesis, aggravated diet-induced obesity, and systemic metabolic dysregulation. Moreover, Ash2l knockdown in BAT under cold exposure or HFD conditions also attenuated thermogenic activity in iWAT, an effect that may be mediated by reduced secretion of FABP4.

conclusionsThese findings establish Ash2l as a critical regulator of adipogenesis and thermogenesis. This study provides important insights into the epigenetic role of Ash2l in maintaining metabolic homeostasis under conditions of nutritional excess.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueDNA-Binding ProteinsObesityThermogenesisAdipocytesAdipogenesisAdipose Tissue, BrownAdipose Tissue, WhiteAnimalsDiet, High-FatMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLDNA-Binding ProteinsAdipogenesisAsh2lBATiWATObesityThermogenesis

Identifiers

PMID41872744
PMCPMC13045091

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.