Project description:Despite studies implicating adipose tissue T cells (ATT) in the initiation and persistence of adipose tissue inflammation, fundamental gaps in knowledge regarding ATT function impedes progress towards understanding how obesity influences adaptive immunity. We hypothesized ATT activation and function would have tissue-resident specific properties and that obesity would potentiate their inflammatory properties. We assessed ATT activation and inflammatory potential within mouse stromal vascular fraction (SVF).To assess intracellular signaling mechanisms responsible for ATT inflammation impairments, single-cell RNA sequencing of ATTs from epididymal adipose tissue was performed from male chow and high fat diet (60% for 12 weeks) fed mice.
Project description:Aging and obesity are associated with pro-inflammatory changes in adipose tissue. Overlapping mechanisms, such as the infiltration of inflammatory macrophages and T cells into visceral adipose tissue, have been implicated in contributing inflammation. However, a comparative analysis from both states is needed to identify distinct regulatory targets. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of stromal vascular fractions (SVF) isolated from gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) of young mice fed a normal or a high-fat diet, and aged mice fed a normal diet. Our analysis revealed that physiological aging, more so than high-fat diet induced obesity, was associated with accumulation of phenotypically distinct CD8 T cells resembling virtual memory (VM) CD8 T cells.