Sphingosine kinase 2 regulates adipocyte browning and whole-body metabolism.

Authors

Ryan D R Brown, Cynthia Weigel, Yadu Vijayan, Katarzyna M Tyc, Christiane Carter, Christopher D Green, Sarah Spiegel

Published in

Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 34. Pages eaec7066. Aug 21, 2026. Epub Aug 21, 2026.

Abstract

Obesity increases circulating levels of the bioactive sphingolipid metabolite sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Here, we identify adipocyte-expressed sphingosine kinase 2 (SPHK2), an enzyme that produces S1P, as a regulator of adipose tissue browning. Mice with adipocyte-specific deletion of Sphk2 were protected from Western diet-induced obesity concomitantly with elevated energy expenditure and browning of subcutaneous fat. Sphk2 deletion also enhanced expression of Ucp1 and key thermogenic genes, resulting in reduced adiposity and hepatic steatosis, improved glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity. Mechanistically, obesogenic diet promoted nuclear localization of SPHK2 in adipocytes, where it cooperated with transcription factors to suppress the thermogenic transcriptome. Adipocyte SPHK2 contributes to homeostatic circulating S1P levels and drive the pathogenic rise of S1P in response to obesogenic diet. Our findings reveal a distinct role of adipocyte SPHK2 in regulation of the thermogenic program important for whole-body metabolic homeostasis and energy expenditure, highlighting SPHK2 as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of metabolic disorders.

PMID:
42627910
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Aug 2026.

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