Barbara Cannon

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Barbara Cannon
EducationB.Sc., Biochemistry
Ph.D., Physiology
Alma materLondon University
Stockholm University
Known forBrown adipose tissue metabolism
SpouseJan Nedergaard
AwardsKing's Medal, the Order of the Seraphims (2014)
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
Physiology
InstitutionsStockholm University

Barbara Cannon is a British-Swedish biochemist, physiologist and an academic. She is an emeritus professor at Stockholm University[1] as well as the chairman of the scientific advisory board at The Helmholtz Centre. She is also a consultant at Combigene.[2]

Cannon is most known for her work on mammalian thermogenesis, primarily focusing on the function of brown adipose tissue. She is the recipient of the 2014 King's Medal from the Order of the Seraphims, Sweden.[3]

Cannon is a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[3]

Education[edit]

Cannon completed her B.Sc in Biochemistry from London University in 1967. In 1971, she obtained a Ph.D. in Physiology from Stockholm University.[1]

Career[edit]

Cannon started her academic career in 1974 at Stockholm University, where she held various positions, including a research associate at the Wenner-Grenn Institute from 1974 to 1980. Subsequently, she served as an associate professor from 1980 to 1983 and then as a professor of physiology from 1983 to 2013. Since 2013, she has held the title of emeritus professor at Stockholm University.[1]

Cannon's involvement with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences included a tenure as vice president from 2003 to 2008 and subsequently as president from 2012 to 2015.[4] Furthermore, she played an important role in the Nobel Foundation, serving as a member of the Trustees from 2006 to 2011 and taking on the role of chairman from 2008 to 2011.[5]

Research[edit]

Cannon has conducted research in the field of mammalian thermogenesis. Her research portfolio includes 185 original articles, as well as 125 invited review articles and book chapters.[6] Notably, she authored a fundamental review on brown adipose tissue function in Physiological Reviews and a paradigm-changing review article for the American Journal of Physiology where she presented findings from radiology literature suggesting the existence of brown adipose tissue in adult humans.[7]

Function and significance of brown adipose tissue[edit]

Cannon's initial publications, alongside Stanley Prusiner, definitively showed that thermogenesis was primarily driven by mitochondrial uncoupling, likely induced by the presence of free fatty acids.[8][9] She subsequently showcased important elements in controlling the immediate function of the uncoupling protein, involving fatty acids, possibly their CoA derivatives, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) products. Her articles on regulating ATP synthase levels in mitochondria relative to electron transport chain density, demonstrated in brown adipose tissue, suggest that this concept applies universally, with the P1 isoform of subunit c governing fully assembled enzyme levels in the membrane.[10][11]

Cannon pioneered primary cell culture systems that underpin knowledge of brown adipocyte development and recruitment.[12] Using these cultures, she identified adrenergic signal transduction pathways responsible for both acute thermogenesis and chronic actions like cell proliferation and differentiation triggered by noradrenaline.[13][14] She further clarified that the development paths of brown and white adipocytes are separate, with brown adipocytes showing characteristics of skeletal muscle early in their differentiation process.[15] In her later research, she found that cultured adipocytes from different white adipose depots contained precursor cells capable of adopting a brown-like or "brite" phenotype, also known as beige fat.[16] Although these findings have sparked significant interest, she has advised caution regarding the belief that these cells alone will solve obesity problems.[17][18]

Focusing on integrative physiology, Cannon's research on mice lacking the UCP1 gene revealed that there are no alternative mechanisms for adrenergically induced adaptive thermogenesis apart from UCP1 in brown adipose tissue.[19][20] This finding challenges the notion of adaptive adrenergic muscular thermogenesis and suggests that UCP1-deficient mice tend to develop modest obesity spontaneously.[21] Moreover, she advocated for humanizing mice by providing them with appealing diets and maintaining their housing conditions at thermoneutral temperatures to mimic the metabolism of adult humans at its lowest point.[22] Furthermore, her review on active brown adipose tissue in adult humans has prompted numerous follow-up experiments and offered promising avenues for pharmacological interventions in obesity management.[7]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • 1989 – Fellow, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences[3]
  • 2009 – Honorary doctor, Monash University, Melbourne[23]
  • 2012 – Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Prize Lecture, International Union of Physiological Sciences[24]
  • 2013 – Honorary doctor, Royal Veterinary College, London[25]
  • 2013 – European Lipid Research Award, EuroFedLipid[26]
  • 2014 – Honorary doctor, Buckingham University, Buckingham, UK
  • 2014 – King's Medal (12th size), the Order of the Seraphims[3]
  • 2016 – Prize for Scientific Reviews, Experimental Biology and American Physiological Society
  • 2016 – Recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, Japan[27]
  • 2017 – Fellow, Academia Europaea[3]

Selected articles[edit]

  • Cannon, B., & Nedergaard, J. (2004). Brown adipose tissue: function and physiological significance. Physiological Reviews, 84, 277 - 359.
  • Nedergaard, J., Bengtsson, T., & Cannon, B. (2007). Unexpected evidence for active brown adipose tissue in adult humans. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 293, E444- E452.
  • Feldmann, H. M., Golozoubova, V., Cannon, B., & Nedergaard, J. (2009). UCP1 ablation induces obesity and abolishes diet-induced thermogenesis in mice exempt from thermal stress by living at thermoneutrality. Cell Metabolism, 9(2), 203–209.
  • Whittle, A. J., Carobbio, S., Martins, L., Slawik, M., Hondares, E., Vázquez, M. J., ... & Vidal-Puig, A. (2012). BMP8B increases brown adipose tissue thermogenesis through both central and peripheral actions. Cell, 149(4), 871–885.
  • Fischer, A. W., Cannon, B., & Nedergaard, J. (2018). Optimal housing temperatures for mice to mimic the thermal environment of humans: an experimental study. Molecular metabolism, 7, 161–170.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Barbara Cannon - Stockholm University". www.su.se.
  2. ^ "Collaborations with leading representatives of academia" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b c d e "Academy of Europe: Cannon Barbara". www.ae-info.org.
  4. ^ "Barbara Cannon elected as new President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences". Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien. February 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "Honorary Graduates 2015".
  6. ^ "Barbara CANNON | Stockholm University, Stockholm | SU | Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute (MBW) | Research profile".
  7. ^ a b Nedergaard, Jan; Bengtsson, Tore; Cannon, Barbara (August 4, 2007). "Unexpected evidence for active brown adipose tissue in adult humans". American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism. 293 (2): E444–452. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00691.2006. PMID 17473055 – via PubMed.
  8. ^ Cannon, Barbara; Nedergaard, Jan (January 4, 2004). "Brown adipose tissue: function and physiological significance". Physiological Reviews. 84 (1): 277–359. doi:10.1152/physrev.00015.2003. PMID 14715917 – via PubMed.
  9. ^ Prusiner, S. B.; Cannon, B.; Lindberg, O. (October 17, 1968). "Oxidative metabolism in cells isolated from brown adipose tissue. 1. Catecholamine and fatty acid stimulation of respiration". European Journal of Biochemistry. 6 (1): 15–22. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1968.tb00413.x. PMID 5725810.
  10. ^ Houstĕk, J.; Andersson, U.; Tvrdík, P.; Nedergaard, J.; Cannon, B. (March 31, 1995). "The expression of subunit c correlates with and thus may limit the biosynthesis of the mitochondrial F0F1-ATPase in brown adipose tissue". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 270 (13): 7689–7694. doi:10.1074/jbc.270.13.7689. PMID 7706317.
  11. ^ Kramarova, Tatiana V.; Shabalina, Irina G.; Andersson, Ulf; Westerberg, Rolf; Carlberg, Inger; Houstek, Josef; Nedergaard, Jan; Cannon, Barbara (January 4, 2008). "Mitochondrial ATP synthase levels in brown adipose tissue are governed by the c-Fo subunit P1 isoform". FASEB Journal. 22 (1): 55–63. doi:10.1096/fj.07-8581com. PMID 17666453. S2CID 45147736.
  12. ^ Néchad, M.; Kuusela, P.; Carneheim, C.; Björntorp, P.; Nedergaard, J.; Cannon, B. (November 4, 1983). "Development of brown fat cells in monolayer culture. I. Morphological and biochemical distinction from white fat cells in culture". Experimental Cell Research. 149 (1): 105–118. doi:10.1016/0014-4827(83)90384-1. PMID 6315457 – via PubMed.
  13. ^ Rehnmark, S.; Kopecký, J.; Jacobsson, A.; Néchad, M.; Herron, D.; Nelson, B. D.; Obregon, M. J.; Nedergaard, J.; Cannon, B. (May 4, 1989). "Brown adipocytes differentiated in vitro can express the gene for the uncoupling protein thermogenin: effects of hypothyroidism and norepinephrine". Experimental Cell Research. 182 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1016/0014-4827(89)90280-2. PMID 2497023 – via PubMed.
  14. ^ Rehnmark, S.; Néchad, M.; Herron, D.; Cannon, B.; Nedergaard, J. (September 25, 1990). "Alpha- and beta-adrenergic induction of the expression of the uncoupling protein thermogenin in brown adipocytes differentiated in culture". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 265 (27): 16464–16471. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(17)46245-4. PMID 1697859.
  15. ^ Timmons, James A.; Wennmalm, Kristian; Larsson, Ola; Walden, Tomas B.; Lassmann, Timo; Petrovic, Natasa; Hamilton, D. Lee; Gimeno, Ruth E.; Wahlestedt, Claes; Baar, Keith; Nedergaard, Jan; Cannon, Barbara (March 13, 2007). "Myogenic gene expression signature establishes that brown and white adipocytes originate from distinct cell lineages". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 104 (11): 4401–4406. Bibcode:2007PNAS..104.4401T. doi:10.1073/pnas.0610615104. PMC 1810328. PMID 17360536.
  16. ^ Petrovic, Natasa; Walden, Tomas B.; Shabalina, Irina G.; Timmons, James A.; Cannon, Barbara; Nedergaard, Jan (March 5, 2010). "Chronic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) activation of epididymally derived white adipocyte cultures reveals a population of thermogenically competent, UCP1-containing adipocytes molecularly distinct from classic brown adipocytes". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 285 (10): 7153–7164. doi:10.1074/jbc.M109.053942. PMC 2844165. PMID 20028987.
  17. ^ Fischer, Alexander W.; Csikasz, Robert I.; von Essen, Gabriella; Cannon, Barbara; Nedergaard, Jan (September 1, 2016). "Reply to letter to the editor: at thermoneutrality, neither the lean nor the obese freeze". American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 311 (3): E639. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00309.2016. PMID 27619918.
  18. ^ Nedergaard, Jan; von Essen, Gabriella; Cannon, Barbara (October 23, 2023). "Brown adipose tissue: can it keep us slim? A discussion of the evidence for and against the existence of diet-induced thermogenesis in mice and men". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 378 (1888): 20220220. doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0220. PMC 10475870. PMID 37661736.
  19. ^ Matthias, A.; Ohlson, K. B.; Fredriksson, J. M.; Jacobsson, A.; Nedergaard, J.; Cannon, B. (August 18, 2000). "Thermogenic responses in brown fat cells are fully UCP1-dependent. UCP2 or UCP3 do not substitute for UCP1 in adrenergically or fatty scid-induced thermogenesis". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 275 (33): 25073–25081. doi:10.1074/jbc.M000547200. PMID 10825155.
  20. ^ Golozoubova, V.; Hohtola, E.; Matthias, A.; Jacobsson, A.; Cannon, B.; Nedergaard, J. (September 4, 2001). "Only UCP1 can mediate adaptive nonshivering thermogenesis in the cold". FASEB Journal. 15 (11): 2048–2050. doi:10.1096/fj.00-0536fje. PMID 11511509.
  21. ^ Feldmann, Helena M.; Golozoubova, Valeria; Cannon, Barbara; Nedergaard, Jan (February 4, 2009). "UCP1 ablation induces obesity and abolishes diet-induced thermogenesis in mice exempt from thermal stress by living at thermoneutrality". Cell Metabolism. 9 (2): 203–209. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2008.12.014. PMID 19187776.
  22. ^ de Jong, Jasper M. A.; Sun, Wenfei; Pires, Nuno D.; Frontini, Andrea; Balaz, Miroslav; Jespersen, Naja Z.; Feizi, Amir; Petrovic, Katarina; Fischer, Alexander W.; Bokhari, Muhammad Hamza; Niemi, Tarja; Nuutila, Pirjo; Cinti, Saverio; Nielsen, Søren; Scheele, Camilla; Virtanen, Kirsi; Cannon, Barbara; Nedergaard, Jan; Wolfrum, Christian; Petrovic, Natasa (August 4, 2019). "Human brown adipose tissue is phenocopied by classical brown adipose tissue in physiologically humanized mice". Nature Metabolism. 1 (8): 830–843. doi:10.1038/s42255-019-0101-4. PMID 32694768. S2CID 201098547 – via www.nature.com.
  23. ^ "Barbara Cannon - Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia - Universitat Rovira i Virgili - Tarragona - Spain". www.ceics.eu.
  24. ^ "International Union of Physiological Sciences". 7 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Barbara Cannon - Honorary Degree" (PDF).
  26. ^ "European Science Award - Euro Fed Lipid". eurofedlipid.org. April 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute". www.su.se.
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