Key result
Single-cell transcriptomics reveals extensive cellular heterogeneity and dynamic functional states within adipose tissue.
Why the study?
Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics have enabled the identification of novel adipose cell types and states, requiring a synthesis of current knowledge and emerging techniques to understand adipose tissue plasticity.
Design
Review
May enable cell-specific therapies in cardiometabolic disease; extends adipose single-cell atlas to dynamic functional states.
The functional versatility of adipose tissue is mediated by various cell types and their capacity to transition between distinct functional states upon pathophysiological stimuli. Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics have enabled the identification of novel and numerous cell types and states of adipocytes, adipose stem and progenitor cells, immune cells, vascular cells, and mesothelial cells. Significant efforts have been made to understand the key features and underlying processes of the cell subpopulations and to elucidate the cellular mechanisms of adipose tissue plasticity. In this review, we describe current knowledge of heterogeneous cell types and states in adipose tissue and emerging techniques to characterize them, offering fundamental knowledge for studying adipose tissue in the single-cell era.
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Nahmgoong et al. (2026) studied this question. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals extensive cellular heterogeneity and dynamic functional states of adipocytes, progenitor, immune, and vascular cells within adipose tissue.
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