Macrophage-Specific Connexin 43 Knockout Protects Mice from Obesity-Induced Inflammation and Metabolic Dysfunction.

ABSTRACT: Adipose tissue macrophages are a major immune cell type contributing to homeostatic maintenance and pathological adipose tissue remodeling. However, the mechanisms underlying macrophage recruitment and polarization in adipose tissue during obesity remain poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested that the gap junctional protein, connexin 43 (Cx43), plays a critical role in macrophage activation and phagocytosis. Herein, we investigated the macrophage-specific roles of Cx43 in high fat diet (HFD)-induced pathological remodeling of adipose tissue. Expression levels of Cx43 were upregulated in macrophages co-cultured with dying adipocytes in vitro, as well as in macrophages associated with dying adipocytes in the adipose tissue of HFD-fed mice. Cx43 knockdown reduced lipopolysa

SUBMITTER: Choi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9253378 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature