Bone marrow adipocytes support hematopoietic stem cell survival.

In bone marrow (BM), hematopoietic elements are mingled with adipocytes (BM-A), which are the most abundant stromal component in the niche. BM-A progressively increase with aging, eventually occupying up to 50% of BM cavities. In this work, the role played by BM-A was explored by studying primary human BM-A isolated from hip surgery patients at the molecular level, through microarray analysis, and at the functional level, by assessing their relationship with primary human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) by the long-term culture initiating cell (LTC-IC) assay.

Interaction between human mature adipocytes and lymphocytes induces T-cell proliferation.

Background Aims: Adipose tissue is a critical organ that plays a major role in energy balance regulation and the immune response through intricate signals.

Methods: We report on the inter-relation between mature adipocytes and lymphocytes in terms of adipocyte-derived T-cell chemo-attractants and adipocyte metabolic effects on lymphocytes.

Results: During the culture time, mature adipocytes changed their structural and functional properties into de-differentiated cells.