What is it about?
Macrophages in adipose tissue are highly functional heterogenous depending on their different origins and activation states. We have shown for the first time that fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which are known as a marker for cancer associated fibroblasts, is selectively expressed in adipose tissue-resident macrophages. FAP activates macrophages to recruit more inflammatory monocytes via upregulation of CCL8 and inhibit lipolysis and energy expenditure via controlling local norepinephrine metabolism, finally contributing to diet-induced obesity and metabolic inflammation.
Featured Image
Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study reveals fibroblast activation protein (FAP), an extensively-studied protein in cancer research, as a new molecular link between macrophage function and metabolic dysfunction, and suggests FAP as a potential immunotherapeutic target against obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
Perspectives
The study makes me become fascinated with tissue-resident macrophages, hoping to reveal more details about tissue-specific phenotypes and functions of macrophages, and finally identify the critical factors that determine their roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis and promoting tissue dysfunction.
Rui He
Fudan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: FAP expression in adipose tissue macrophages promotes obesity and metabolic inflammation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303075120.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
