STAT6 and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Qiu et al. (2014) found that cold-induced expression of the protein UCP1 in subcutaneous WAT decreased by ∼12-fold in Stat6−/− mice, accompanied by an increase in oxygen consumption. Accordingly, Stat6−/− mice maintained thermal homeostasis at a lower body temperature. Because beiging of WAT results in enhanced energy expenditure, it has increasingly gained attention for its potential application in the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes (Giordano, Frontini & Cinti, 2016; Harms & Seale, 2013).