Dietary lipid is largely deposited in skin and rapidly affects insulating properties | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Dietary lipid is largely deposited in skin and rapidly affects insulating properties Nick Riley, Ildiko Kasza, Isabel D. K. Hermsmeyer, Michaela E. Trautman, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3957002/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 May, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Skin has been shown to be a regulatory hub for energy expenditure and metabolism: mutations of skin lipid metabolism enzymes can change the rate of thermogenesis and susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. However, little is known about the physiological basis for this function. Here we show that the thermal properties of skin are highly reactive to diet: within three days, a high fat diet reduces heat transfer through skin. In contrast, a dietary manipulation that prevents obesity accelerates energy loss through skins. We found that skin was the largest target in a mouse body for dietary fat delivery, and that dietary triglyceride was assimilated both by epidermis and by dermal white adipose tissue. Skin from mice calorie-restricted for 3 weeks did not take up circulating lipids and showed a highly depleted stratum corneum. Dietary triglyceride acyl groups persist in skin for weeks after feeding. Using multi-modal lipid profiling, we have implicated both keratinocytes and sebocytes in the altered lipids which correlate with thermal function. In response to high fat feeding, wax diesters and ceramides accumulate, and triglycerides become more saturated. In contrast, in response to the dramatic loss of adipose tissue that accompanies restriction of the branched chain amino acid isoleucine, skin becomes more heat-permeable, resisting changes induced by Western diet feeding, with a signature of depleted signaling lipids. We propose that skin should be routinely included in physiological studies of lipid metabolism, given the size of the skin lipid reservoir and its adaptable functionality. Biological sciences/Physiology/Metabolism/Fat metabolism Biological sciences/Systems biology/Bioenergetics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files RileySupplDATAS1.xlsx Suppl DATA S1 RileyTableS1DietComposition.pdf Table S1 RileyFIGSSUPPL.pdf Figs S1-S10 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 May, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3957002","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-02-22 05:11:33","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"
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