Editorial: Crosstalk between adipose tissue and immune cells

Crosstalk between adipose tissue and immune cellsAdipose tissue is a critical regulator of systemic lipid and energy metabolism, and studies have shown that the cellular composition of adipose tissue plays an important role in the tissue's ability to function as a metabolic equilibrium hub.Adipose tissue is composed of diverse cell types and is comprised of adipocytes and stromal vascular cells, containing mesenchymal stem cells, preadipocytes, fibroblasts, pericytes, smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells.Importantly, various immune cell types have been implicated in several different aspects of adipose tissue biology, including tissue homeostasis, thermogenesis, and regulation of adipose tissue function.Discovering and understanding the role of adipose immune cells in different states, such as physiological processes or metabolic dysregulation, will lead to a greater comprehension of the full breadth of adipose-immune biology and the possibility of developing therapeutics for chronic metabolic conditions, including obesity and diabetes.Adipose tissue hosts a diverse population of immune cells that includes T cells, B cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophil, and mast cells.Proper functioning of these immune cells are critical for adipose tissue function and dysfunction of immune cells in obesity can lead to inflammation and obesity-associated metabolic disease.Immune cells can also regulate obesity-related disorders by either facilitating or inhibiting adipose thermogenesis.Thermogenic adipose tissue such as the brown adipose tissue (BAT), dissipates energy as heat and has been ascribed to an anti-obesity function in mice and humans.A specialized type of adipocytes known as "beige adipocytes" in white adipose tissue function similar to brown adipocytes and numerous studies have pointed towards a protective role of beige adipocytes against obesity.The role of immune cells in thermogenesis is comprehensibly summarized in a review by Agueda-Oyarzabal et al.where they describe different immune cell population and how these cells interact with thermogenic adipocytes in the adipose tissue microenvironment.The authors detail the general roles and specific functions of macrophages, T cells, B cells, eosinophils, innate Frontiers in Endocrinology frontiersin.