Science: discovery of mesenchymal precursor cells in adipose tissue

May 24, 2019 / BIOON / - a team of researchers from the Perelman School of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found three kinds of fat cell progenitor cells related to obesity in humans In a paper published in the journal Science, the team described their research on the formation of new fat cells from progenitors in adipose tissue and their new findings Young Chau and William Cawthorn of the University of Edinburgh published an outlook article on their team work in the same issue of the magazine Photo source: Science Chau and Cawthorn point out that the body stores fat not only to maintain extra energy reserves in difficult economic times, but also to protect body organs from the accumulation of ectopic fat that may cause damage They also point out that scientists hope to fight obesity by better understanding how fat accumulates in the body Previous studies have shown that there are two ways to expand fat: one is to increase the volume of fat cells, the other is to increase the number of fat cells The former leads to obesity, while the latter helps prevent obesity Scientists also know that fat expansion depends on the production of new fat cells from progenitors living in adipose tissue Previous studies have also shown that there are different kinds of adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs) in adipose tissue, but up to now, the role of APCs in adiposis is not clear In this new study, researchers found three new APCs that play a role in the development of obesity To find the new APC, researchers had to use a new technique called fluorescent activated cell classification, which allows fat cells to be isolated based on specific proteins in them After the work, the team sequenced single cell RNA, enabling them to divide cells into different groups based on their similarities The team reported that most of the cells they were working on belonged to one of three previously unknown groups: stromal progenitor cells, preadipocytes and a third group of cells Each group of cells was taken out and isolated, and then cultured The results showed that these cells formed fat cells The researchers suggest that more research on the newly defined APC members can find new ways to fight obesity by promoting the increase of the number of fat cells rather than the increase of the volume Reference materials: David Merrick et al Identification of a mesogenic generator cell hierarchy in Adobe tissue, Science (2019) Doi: 10.1126/science.aav2501