Key result
Gene expression deconvolution of 1,282 adipose tissue samples revealed gender-specific differences in T cell subsets and highlighted strongly increased immune cell content in epicardial and pericardial depots compared to subcutaneous and omental depots.
Why the study?
Cellular subpopulations in adipose tissue relate to metabolic disease development, but efforts characterizing adipose tissue cell type composition remain limited.
Observational (n=1,282)
This systematic analysis provides comprehensive insights into adipose tissue cell-type heterogeneity in health and disease, highlighting increased immune cell content in epicardial and pericardial depots.
Adipose cell mapping via public transcriptomic deconvolution is hypothesis-generating; leaves open validation for metabolic disease risk stratification.
Understanding adipose tissue cellular heterogeneity and homeostasis is essential to comprehend the cell type dynamics in metabolic diseases. Cellular subpopulations in the adipose tissue have been related to disease development, but efforts towards characterizing the adipose tissue cell type composition are limited. Here, we identify the cell type composition of the adipose tissue by using gene expression deconvolution of large amounts of publicly available transcriptomics level data. The proposed approach allows to present a comprehensive study of adipose tissue cell type composition, determining the relative amounts of 21 different cell types in 1282 adipose tissue samples detailing differences across four adipose tissue depots, between genders, across ranges of BMI and in different stages of type-2 diabetes. We compare our results to previous marker-based studies by conducting a literature review of adipose tissue cell type composition and propose candidate cellular markers to distinguish different cell types within the adipose tissue. This analysis reveals gender-specific differences in CD4 + and CD8 + T cell subsets; identifies adipose tissue as rich source of multipotent stem/stromal cells; and highlights a strongly increased immune cell content in epicardial and pericardial adipose tissue compared to subcutaneous and omental depots. Overall, this systematic analysis provides comprehensive insights into adipose tissue cell-type heterogeneity in health and disease.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Lenz et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Healthy and metabolic diseases (n=1,282). Adipose tissue depot, gender, BMI, and diabetes status was evaluated on Relative amounts of 21 different cell types in adipose tissue. Gene expression deconvolution of 1,282 adipose tissue samples revealed gender-specific differences in T cell subsets and highlighted strongly increased immune cell content in epicardial and pericardial depots compared to subcutaneous and omental depots.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: