Cited by 1,377Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic DiseasesAdipose Tissue and MetabolismImmune cells in cancer

Lipid-associated macrophages control metabolic homeostasis in a Trem2-dependent manner

Open access
Jaitin, Diego Adhemar, Adlung, Lorenz, Thaiss, Christoph A., Weiner, Assaf, Li, Baoguo, Descamps, Hélène, Lundgren, Patrick, Bleriot, Camille +15 more·2019·Cell

Abstract

Immune cells residing in white adipose tissue have been highlighted as important factors contributing to the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, but the molecular regulators that drive adipose tissue immune cell remodeling during obesity remain largely unknown. Using index and transcriptional single-cell sorting, we comprehensively map all adipose tissue immune populations in both mice and humans during obesity. We describe a novel and conserved Trem2+ lipid-associated macrophage (LAM) subset and identify markers, spatial localization, origin, and functional pathways associated with these cells. Genetic ablation of Trem2 in mice globally inhibits the downstream molecular LAM program, leading to adipocyte hypertrophy as well as systemic hypercholesterolemia, body fat accumulation, and glucose intolerance. These findings identify Trem2 signaling as a major pathway by which macrophages respond to loss of tissue-level lipid homeostasis, highlighting Trem2 as a key sensor of metabolic pathologies across multiple tissues and a potential therapeutic target in metabolic diseases.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.054

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  • MASH is associated with the emergence of LAMs that highly express Trem2 along with Cd9, Gpnmb, and Spp1.

    “MASH is associated with the emergence of lipid-associated macrophages (LAM) that highly express Trem2 along with Cd9, Gpnmb, and Spp1 (3–5)”

    From Lipid-associated macrophages' promotion of fibrosis resolution during MASH regression requires TREM2 (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Results section, “Lipid-associated macrophages are characterized by Trem2 expression in mice and humans” (page not provided), identifies LAMs in obese adipose tissue as expressing Trem2 and Cd9 and reports LAM-like macrophages in mouse liver under high-fat-diet conditions. The paper does not establish their emergence specifically in MASH or identify Gpnmb as part of the reported LAM signature; it mentions Spp1 as differing among macrophage subsets, not as a confirmed high-expression LAM marker. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The majority of murine studies suggest LAMs/LAM-like KCs play a role in tissue repair, contributing to dead cell and lipid clearance, reducing lipotoxic stress, and preventing uncontrolled inflammation.

    “While the majority of murine studies to date have suggested a role for LAMs/LAM-like KCs in tissue repair, contributing to dead cell and lipid clearance, thus reducing lipotoxic stress, and preventing uncontrolled inflammation (36, 108, 122–126)”

    From Targeting macrophages in liver fibrosis (2026) · cites this paper as [126]

    The Results (page unavailable) show that adipose LAMs have phagocytosis and lipid-metabolism signatures; the Discussion describes their beneficial containment of lipid-laden, cell-death-prone adipocytes. The paper also detects LAM-like macrophages in mouse liver, but does not establish tissue repair or dead-cell clearance by those liver cells. It suggests LAMs may modulate inflammation, rather than showing that they prevent uncontrolled inflammation or reduce lipotoxic stress. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • TREM2 ligands include bacterial wall products, Aβ oligomers, lipoproteins, and anionic lipids such as phospholipids and sphingolipids.

    “TREM2 ligands include a variety of molecules, such as bacterial wall products, Aβ oligomers, lipoproteins, and anionic lipids, such as phospholipids and sphingolipids29,32–35”

    From TREM2 promotes lung fibrosis via controlling alveolar macrophage survival and pro-fibrotic activity (2025) · cites this paper as [33]

    The Results section (‘Lipid-associated macrophages are characterized by Trem2 expression in mice and humans’; page unavailable) describes Trem2 as a lipid receptor, supporting the broad lipid-related part of the claim. Our copy does not identify bacterial wall products, Aβ oligomers, lipoproteins, phospholipids, or sphingolipids as TREM2 ligands. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • These included lysosomal enzymes ASAH1, LIPA, CTSA, CTSG, CTSZ, PLA2G15 and PPT1, part of the CLEAR network, as well as PLA2G7.

    “Notably, these included the lysosomal enzymes ASAH1, LIPA, CTSA, CTSG, CTSZ, PLA2G15 and PPT1, enzymes part of the Coordinated Lysosomal Expression and Regulation network60, as well as PLA2G7, previously associated with atherosclerotic plaques61 and with the LAM48 and MIMS-foamy microglial states11.”

    From Foamy microglia link oxylipins to disease progression in multiple sclerosis (2026) · cites this paper as [48]

    The Results section, “Lipid-associated macrophages are characterized by Trem2 expression in mice and humans” (page unavailable), identifies and characterizes the LAM state. But the passages in our copy do not identify PLA2G7 as associated with LAM; a search for PLA2G7/Pla2g7 found no such passage. This supports the LAM identification, not the specific PLA2G7 association attributed to citation 48. (LLM, conf=0.81)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The foamy, GPNMB+ microglial phenotype in MS lesions bears striking transcriptional similarity to LAMs in obesity, amyloid-responsive microglia in Alzheimer's disease and foam cells in atherosclerosis.

    “The foamy, GPNMB+ microglial phenotype in MS lesions bears striking transcriptional similarity to LAMs in obesity, amyloid-responsive microglia in Alzheimer’s disease and foam cells in atherosclerosis18,46,48,50,51.”

    From Foamy microglia link oxylipins to disease progression in multiple sclerosis (2026) · cites this paper as [48]

    The Results section reports that obesity-associated LAMs have a highly similar gene profile to Alzheimer’s disease-associated microglia, and the Discussion also describes similarity to aortic macrophages in atherosclerosis (page unavailable in our copy). The paper does not examine foamy GPNMB+ microglia in MS lesions or compare their transcriptional profile with those cell types. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Jaitin, D. A., Adlung, L., Thaiss, C. A., Weiner, A., Li, B., Descamps, H., Lundgren, P., Bleriot, C., Liu, Z., Deczkowska, A., Keren-Shaul, H., David, E., Zmora, N., Eldar, S. M., Lubezky, N., Shibolet, O., Hill, D. A., Lazar, M. A., Colonna, M., Ginhoux, F., Shapiro, H., Elinav, E., & Amit, I.
Affiliations
  • Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
  • Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (IL)
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
Corresponding author
  • Elinav, Eran
  • Amit, Ido
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-07
Volume
178
Issue
3
Pages
686-698.e14
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2955261360
Cited by
1,377
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 243 · 2025: 244 · 2024: 229 · 2023: 218 · 2022: 170 · 2021: 152 · 2020: 97 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 1
FWCI
83.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  • HHMI
  • European Research Council (724471-HemTree2.0)
  • Thompson Family Foundation
  • MRA (509044)
  • Foundation (703/15)
  • Ernest and Bonnie Beutler Research Program for Excellence in Genomic Medicine
  • Helen and Martin Kimmel
  • NeuroMac DFG/Transregional Collaborative Research Center
  • International Progressive MS Alliance
  • NMSS (PA-1604-08459)
  • Adelis Foundation
  • Wolfson Foundation
  • NIH (DK116668, DK49780)
  • CHOP
  • The Center for Applied Genomics
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Human Metabolic Tissue Bank
  • Penn Diabetes Research Center (P30 NIH DK19525, P30-DK-019525)
  • Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation
  • Agilent
  • Global Probiotics Council
  • PennCHOP Microbiome Program
  • Penn Institute for Immunology
  • Penn Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases (P30-DK-050306)
  • Penn Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Center (P30-AR-069589)
  • Gilead Sciences International Research Scholars Program in Liver Disease
  • The V.R. Schwartz Research Fellow Chair
  • Y. and R. Ungar
  • Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
  • J.L. and V. Schwartz
  • D.L. Schwarz
  • Israel Science Foundation
  • Helmholtz Foundation
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune cells in cancer
Keywords
TREM2, lipid-associated macrophages, white adipose tissue, obesity, adipose tissue macrophages, metabolic homeostasis, adipocyte hypertrophy, hypercholesterolemia, impaired glucose tolerance, single-cell transcriptomics, macrophage origin, metabolic disorders
MeSH terms
Animals, Humans, Lipids, Macrophages, Membrane Glycoproteins, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Monocytes, Obesity, Receptors, Immunologic, Signal Transduction, Glucose Intolerance, Mice, Knockout, Intra-Abdominal Fat, Lipid Metabolism, Mice, Adipose Tissue, White, Single-Cell Analysis, Diet, High-Fat

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