Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is primarily responsible for regulating body temperature through adaptive thermogenesis. Enhancing energy expenditure through the activation of BAT thermogenesis is a promising strategy to prevent and reverse obesity and its cardiometabolic sequelae. Brown adipocytes are embedded in a dense network of blood vessels and sympathetic nerves that supports their thermogenic activity. Increasing the density of blood vessels and sympathetic innervation is essential for enhanced thermogenesis in cold. However, how these distinct processes are spatiotemporally regulated is not clear. To define the mediators of intercellular crosstalk in the BAT, we used single-cell transcriptomic analysis of BAT to build a network of ligand-receptor interactions. We identified Slit guidance ligand 3 (Slit3) as a new adipokine that mediates the crosstalk among adipocyte progenitors, endothelial cells, and sympathetic nerves. Using a combination of in vivo gain and loss of function studies, we showed that Slit3 is essential for cold-induced angiogenesis and sympathetic innervation in BAT. Loss of Slit3 reduced the density of blood vessels and sympathetic neurites in BAT. Consequently, mice lacking Slit3 expression in BAT exhibited severe cold intolerance, increased lipid accumulation and whitening of BAT, and reduced expression of thermogenic and mitochondrial genes in BAT. Conversely, the overexpression of Slit3 enhanced cold-induced BAT thermogenesis. Our mechanistic studies identified the key regulatory events that control Slit3 signaling in BAT. Collectively, these findings established the essential role of Slit3 signaling in regulation of BAT thermogenesis and introduced Slit3 as a new niche factor that promotes adipose tissue health. These studies introduced a potential node of intervention for improving systemic metabolism through the expansion of thermogenic fat. Disclosure T.Duarte afonso serdan: None. H.E.Cervantes: None. F.M.Neto: None. Y.Tseng: Consultant; Cellarity, LyGenesis. F.Shamsi: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (K01DK125608)
Brown and beige thermogenic adipocytes are specialized in energy consumption and linked to metabolic health. Canonically, thermogenic adipocytes are thought to be derived from mesenchymal PdgfRα+ adipocyte progenitor cells (APC) . We recently identified a novel population of cold-recruited APCs from the vascular smooth muscle lineage marked by the expression of the ion channel Trpv1 in mouse adipose tissue. To determine the function of the Trpv1+ APC-derived adipocytes, we impaired their adipogenic capacity by deletion of Pparγ in Trpv1-expressing cells in mice (Trpv1-Cre::Pparγ-flox) . Inhibition of de novo adipogenesis from Trpv1+ APCs resulted in modest changes in brown adipose tissue, but it caused a marked reduction in the expression of cold-induced browning genes, including UCP1, in white adipose tissue (WAT) , indicating impaired beige adipogenesis. Interestingly, Trpv1-Cre::Pparγ-flox mice did not show altered weight gain, glucose tolerance, or insulin sensitivity on either regular chow or high-fat diets. This discrepancy led us to search for potential compensatory mechanisms. We observed increased PdgfRα expression in WAT of Trpv1-Cre::Pparγ-flox animals, suggesting that impaired adipogenic capacity of the Trpv1+ APCs may trigger recruitment of the PdgfRα+ APCs. Additionally, while UCP1 expression was noticeably reduced in the beige adipocytes within WAT, the expression of transcripts involved in the UCP1-independent thermogenic pathways, including Ckmt1, Gatm, and Slc6a8, key components of the creatine futile cycle, was increased in the WAT of the Trpv1-Cre::Pparγ-flox mice upon cold exposure. Together, these data highlight a potential distinction between the thermogenic pathways mediated by adipocytes derived from the Trpv1+ versus those derived from the PdgfRα+ APCs. This functional difference of thermogenic adipocytes could be critical in designing strategies to target these cells as a therapeutic approach for metabolic diseases. Disclosure H.Camara: None. F.Shamsi: None. M.Lynes: None. Y.Tseng: Consultant; Cellarity. Funding National Institutes of Health (R01DK102898)
White adipose tissue is characterized by substantial functional heterogeneity based on anatomic location and developmental lineages. Such differences may contribute to depot-dependent differences in adipose regulation of systemic metabolism and the relative impact of adipose distribution (e.g. subcutaneous, SQ, vs. intraabdominal, IA) on risk for type 2 diabetes. While mouse adipose depot heterogeneity at the single-cell level has recently been explored, comparative analysis of human white fat depots is still in its infancy.Hereby, we establish a single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA Seq) method for isolating and sequencing intact single nuclei from frozen human WAT biopsies. Using this approach, we analyzed the transcriptome of individual nuclei from 22 WAT SQ or IA biopsies (SQ, 12 IA, 3 paired) acquired from subjects (16 females, 3 males) with or without type 2 diabetes (T2D) across a wide BMI range (Mean+/-SD = 45.4+/-10.3 kg/m2. Range: 23.6 - 60.9 kg/m2) . We show that both SQ and IA human fat depots demonstrate substantial cell-to-cell heterogeneity, and identify multiple adipose and non-adipose-related cell types resident in both tissues. Our analysis identifies several novel subclusters, including two distinct mature adipocyte subclusters, characterized by low vs. high adiponectin expression and thus potentially contributing to adipose-mediated effects on systemic metabolism. Moreover, we identify a novel cluster present in both SQ and IA depots, with a unique transcriptomic signature marked by DAPK1 and enrichment for hedgehog signaling and endocytosis KEGG terms. Comprehensive cross-sample integrative bioinformatics analysis using the software tools scVI and VISION reveals distinct molecular markers and transcriptomic signatures between depots, between clusters, and across a range of BMI, that may serve as promising targets for understanding the mechanism by which specific adipose-resident cell populations mediate metabolic risk associated with adiposity. Disclosure V.Efthymiou: None. S.Kodani: None. A.Gupta: None. F.Shamsi: None. A.Streets: None. Y.Tseng: Consultant; Cellarity. M.Patti: Consultant; AstraZeneca, Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Hanmi Pharm. Co., Ltd., MBX Biosciences, Poxel SA, Other Relationship; Fractyl Health, Inc., Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Research Support; Dexcom, Inc. Funding Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
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