A stromal cell population that inhibits adipogenesis in mammalian fat depots.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Adipocyte development and differentiation have an important role in the aetiology of obesity and its co-morbidities 1,2 . Although multiple studies have investigated the adipogenic stem and precursor cells that give rise to mature adipocytes 3-14 , our understanding of their in vivo origin and properties is incomplete 2,15,16 . This is partially due to the highly heterogeneous and unstructured nature of adipose tissue depots 17 , which has proven difficult to molecularly dissect using classical approaches such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting and Cre-lox lines based on candidate marker genes 16,18 . Here, using the resolving power of single-cell transcriptomics 19 in a mouse model, we reveal distinct subpopulations of adipose stem and precursor cells in the stromal vascular fraction of subcutaneous adipose tissue. We identify one of these subpopulations as CD142 + adipogenesis-regulatory cells, which can suppress adipocyte formation in vivo and in vitro in a paracrine manner. We show that adipogenesis-regulatory cells are refractory to adipogenesis and that they are functionally conserved in humans. Our findings point to a potentially critical role for adipogenesis-regulatory cells in modulating adipose tissue plasticity, which is linked to metabolic control, differential insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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