Cited by 676Adipose Tissue and MetabolismAdipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic DiseasesMesenchymal stem cell research

Identification of a mesenchymal progenitor cell hierarchy in adipose tissue

Open access
Merrick, David, Sakers, Alexander, Irgebay, Zhazira, Okada, Chihiro, Calvert, Catherine, Morley, Michael P., Percec, Ivona, Seale, Patrick·2019·Science

Abstract

A singular focus on fat: Fatty tissue can expand in two ways: through increases in the size of individual adipocytes or through increases in the number of adipocytes. The former process promotes metabolic disease, and the latter protects against it. Merrick et al. used single-cell RNA sequencing to define the hierarchy of mesenchymal progenitor cells that give rise to adipose tissue in mice and humans (see the Perspective by Chau and Cawthorn). They found that progenitor cells expressing a protein called DPP4 give rise to two distinct types of preadipocytes in response to different signals. The DPP4 progenitors reside in a fluid-filled network of collagen and elastin fibers surrounding adipose tissue. In principle, therapeutic interventions that increase progenitor cell differentiation into adipocytes could ameliorate metabolic disease. Science , this issue p. eaav2501 ; see also p. 328

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  • APC1 and APC2 corresponded to adipocyte progenitors, characterized by high expression of both Dpp4 and Pi16, while displaying distinct gene expression profiles from each other.

    “APC1 and APC2 corresponded to ‘adipocyte progenitors’, characterized by high expression of both Dpp4 and Pi16 (Merrick et al., 2019Merrick et al., 2019), while displaying distinct gene expression profiles from each other (Figure 3—figure supplement 1A).”

    From Robust single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals depot-specific cell population dynamics in adipose tissue remodeling during obesity (2025) · cites this paper as Merrick et al., 2019

    In “Profiling and trajectory analysis of adipose progenitors” (page unavailable), the paper identifies a progenitor group expressing Dpp4 and Pi16. Its Discussion describes DPP4+ cells as adipose progenitors, but the paper does not identify the citing study’s APC1 and APC2 as two such populations. The claim that APC1 and APC2 have distinct expression profiles is attached to the citing study’s figure, not to this source. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Merrick, D., Sakers, A., Irgebay, Z., Okada, C., Calvert, C., Morley, M. P., Percec, I., & Seale, P.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
  • Merrick, David
  • Sakers, Alexander
  • Seale, Patrick
Venue
Science
Published
2019-04-26
Volume
364
Issue
6438
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2942273685
Cited by
664
References
29
Citations by year
2026: 69 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 130 · 2023: 96 · 2022: 93 · 2021: 93 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 21
FWCI
48.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01DK103008, RO1DK107589, 5T32GM008216-29)
  • American Diabetes Association (1-16-IBS-269)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (5T32DK007314-37)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Mesenchymal stem cell research
Keywords
mesenchymal progenitor cells, adipose tissue, adipogenesis, preadipocytes, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, cell hierarchy, adipose tissue expansion, metabolic disorders, extracellular matrix
MeSH terms
Adipose Tissue, Animals, Humans, Thromboplastin, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors, Sequence Analysis, RNA, Adipocytes, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1, Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4, Lectins, C-Type, Adipogenesis, Mice, Single-Cell Analysis, Mesenchymal Stem Cells

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