Adipose Tissue Cellularity and Adipogenesis

Not all obese patients are equally affected by metabolic dysregulation. In fact, metabolically healthy obese patients can be distinguished from metabolically unhealthy obese patients by the number and the size of their adipocytes despite similar body mass index (BMI). Storing fat in new adipocytes, which requires adipogenesis, may be a beneficial way to safely store excess fat and maintain health. The goal of this project is to discover novel regulators of adipogenesis both in humans and mice. Using single cell sequencing, we and others have begun to parse out the cellular progenitors that differentiate into adipose tissue.

We recently identified new factors that may modulate adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo, and we aim to understand the involve mechanisms of action. Characterizing these cells and identifying factors that facilitate their communication may aid the understanding of adipose tissue expansion, providing attractive therapeutic targets for obesity intervention.

Foci of UCP1-positive adipocytes (red) in the inguinal adipose tissue of mice exposed to cold
Foci of UCP1-positive adipocytes (red) in the inguinal adipose tissue of mice exposed to cold
zoomed-out image of one of the brown adipose depots, showing red (BMPER+) cells.
Zoomed-out image of one of the brown adipose depots, showing red (BMPER+) cells.
A section of an E15.5 embryo, where the red color corresponds to BMPER+ cells.
A section of an E15.5 embryo, where the red color corresponds to BMPER+ cells.