瑞士苏黎世联邦理工学院Christian Wolfrum和Wenfei Sun研究组合作取得一项新突破。他们利用单核RNA测序（snRNA-seq）揭示了一个调节产热的脂肪细胞亚群。相关论文于2020年10月28日发表在《自然》杂志上。
他们在小鼠和人中使用snRNA-seq分析来表征脂肪细胞异质性。他们确定了小鼠脂肪细胞的一个罕见亚群，在较高的温度下会大量增加，并且他们显示该亚群通过乙酸盐介导的生热能力来调节邻近的脂肪细胞活性。人脂肪组织中该亚群的细胞数量更多，这可以解释与小鼠脂肪组织相比，人的致热活性较低，并表明靶向该途径可用于恢复致热活性。
据悉，脂肪组织通常根据其功能分为白色、棕色或米色（棕褐色）脂肪组织。它是全身代谢的重要调节剂，肥胖中脂肪组织功能异常会导致各种继发性代谢并发症。此外，脂肪组织还充当信号枢纽，通过旁分泌和内分泌信号来调节全身代谢。
附：英文原文
Title: snRNA-seq reveals a subpopulation of adipocytes that regulates thermogenesis
Author: Wenfei Sun, Hua Dong, Miroslav Balaz, Michal Slyper, Eugene Drokhlyansky, Georgia Colleluori, Antonio Giordano, Zuzana Kovanicova, Patrik Stefanicka, Lucia Balazova, Lianggong Ding, Anna Sofie Husted, Gottfried Rudofsky, Jozef Ukropec, Saverio Cinti, Thue W. Schwartz, Aviv Regev, Christian Wolfrum
Issue&Volume: 2020-10-28
Abstract: Adipose tissue is usually classified on the basis of its function as white, brown or beige (brite)1. It is an important regulator of systemic metabolism, as shown by the fact that dysfunctional adipose tissue in obesity leads to a variety of secondary metabolic complications2,3. In addition, adipose tissue functions as a signalling hub that regulates systemic metabolism through paracrine and endocrine signals4. Here we use single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) analysis in mice and humans to characterize adipocyte heterogeneity. We identify a rare subpopulation of adipocytes in mice that increases in abundance at higher temperatures, and we show that this subpopulation regulates the activity of neighbouring adipocytes through acetate-mediated modulation of their thermogenic capacity. Human adipose tissue contains higher numbers of cells of this subpopulation, which could explain the lower thermogenic activity of human compared to mouse adipose tissue and suggests that targeting this pathway could be used to restore thermogenic activity.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2856-x
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2856-x
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html
本期文章：《自然》：Online/在线发表
