Defining the vascular niche of human adipose tissue across metabolic conditions

ABSTRACT: White adipose tissue requires a well-maintained vascular network to function properly. Although advances in single-cell transcriptomics have allowed the development of comprehensive human white adipose tissue atlases, there has been a little focus on deciphering the heterogeneity and the functional states of adipose vascular cells, including blood adipose endothelial cells (AdECs), adipose lymphatic endothelial cells (AdLECs), and mural cells (pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells). Using single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), we mapped human subcutaneous adipose tissue cellular clusters, and focused on cells comprising the vascular niche. We further integrated our in-house generated cohort with seven publicly available datasets of human SAT single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and snRNA-seq. The generated atlas comprised nearly 70,000 vascular cells from 65 donors, which allowed us to explore the adipose vascular niche. By mining this rich resource, we identify eight endothelial populations, comprising seven canonical subtypes and one additional heterogeneous population of sub-endothelial AdECs. We also provide detailed analyses comparing the transcriptomes of vascular cells from individuals living with or without obesity and type 2 diabetes. These data provide an extensive atlas for the exploration of the adipose vascular niche and its modulation of adipose tissue biology in health and disease.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE268904 | GEO | 2025/12/31

REPOSITORIES: GEO