Loss of reduces adipogenesis and improves insulin sensitivity in mouse and human adipocytes.

There are multiple independent genetic signals at the () locus associated with type 2 diabetes risk, fasting glucose, ectopic fat, height, and bone mineral density. We have previously shown that loss of in pancreatic beta cells reduces insulin content and impairs islet cell development and function. However, RREB1 is a widely expressed transcription factor and the metabolic impact of RREB1 loss remains unknown.

Adipocyte gene expression in obesity - insights gained and challenges ahead.

White adipocytes possess extraordinary plasticity with an unparalleled capacity to expand in size with nutritional overload. Several lines of evidence indicate that limitations to this plasticity, as found in both lipodystrophy and obesity, drive several of the comorbidities of these disease, thereby underscoring the need to understand the mechanisms of healthy and unhealthy adipose expansion. Recent single-cell technologies and studies of isolated adipocytes have allowed researchers to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of adipocyte plasticity.

Dynamic switching of transcriptional regulators between two distinct low-mobility chromatin states.

How chromatin dynamics relate to transcriptional activity remains poorly understood. Using single-molecule tracking, coupled with machine learning, we show that histone H2B and multiple chromatin-bound transcriptional regulators display two distinct low-mobility states. Ligand activation results in a marked increase in the propensity of steroid receptors to bind in the lowest-mobility state.

Adipose tissue at single-cell resolution.

Adipose tissue exhibits remarkable plasticity with capacity to change in size and cellular composition under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The emergence of single-cell transcriptomics has rapidly transformed our understanding of the diverse array of cell types and cell states residing in adipose tissues and has provided insight into how transcriptional changes in individual cell types contribute to tissue plasticity. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the cellular atlas of adipose tissues focusing on the biological insight gained from single-cell and single-nuclei transcriptomics of murine and human adipose tissues.

Stellate cell expression of SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 2 is associated with human non-alcoholic fatty liver disease severity.

Background & Aims: Histological assessment of liver biopsies is the gold standard for diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), despite its well-established limitations. Therefore, non-invasive biomarkers that can offer an integrated view of the liver are needed to improve diagnosis and reduce sampling bias. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are central in the development of hepatic fibrosis, a hallmark of NASH.