BMPER is a Marker of Adipose Progenitors and Adipocytes and a Positive Modulator of Adipogenesis

Overview

Journal Commun Biol

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Jun 13

PMID 37311809

Authors

Jacob D Garritson

Jiabi Zhang

Alan Achenbach

Maroua Ferhat

Emile Eich

Chris J Stubben

Paige L Martinez

Anna R Ibele

Keren I Hilgendorf

Sihem Boudina

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Autocrine and paracrine signaling regulating adipogenesis in white adipose tissue remains largely unclear. Here we used single-cell RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and single nuclei RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) to identify markers of adipose progenitor cells (APCs) and adipogenic modulators in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of humans and mice. Our study confirmed the presence of major cellular clusters in humans and mice and established important sex and diet-specific dissimilarities in cell proportions. Here we show that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-binding endothelial regulator (BMPER) is a conserved marker for APCs and adipocytes in VAT in humans and mice. Further, BMPER is highly enriched in lineage negative stromal vascular cells and its expression is significantly higher in visceral compared to subcutaneous APCs in mice. BMPER expression and release peaked by day four post-differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We reveal that BMPER is required for adipogenesis both in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and in mouse APCs. Together, this study identified BMPER as a positive modulator of adipogenesis.

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