Q.Differentiate white adipose tissue from brown adipose tissue.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →White adipose tissue is built for long-term energy storage and insulation, while brown adipose tissue is specialised for generating heat.
Both are types of adipose (fat) connective tissue, but they differ in structure and function. White Adipose Tissue (WAT): each adipocyte (fat cell) contains a single large lipid droplet that occupies almost the whole cell, pushing the nucleus and thin rim of cytoplasm to the periphery (unilocular cells); it has relatively few mitochondria, appears white to yellowish in colour, and is distributed widely under the skin (subcutaneous) and around internal organs. Its main functions are long-term storage of energy as triglycerides, cushioning of organs, and thermal insulation. Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT): each adipocyte contains multiple small lipid droplets scattered through the cytoplasm (multilocular cells) along with numerous large mitochondria rich in iron-containing cytochromes, which give the tissue its characteristic brown colour. BAT is specialised for non-shivering thermogenesis — its mitochondria contain a unique uncoupling protein (UCP1/thermogenin) that allows the energy from fat oxidation to be released directly as heat rather than being used to …
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