Odegaard Justin I, Chawla Ajay
F1000 Biol Rep. 2012;4:13. doi: 10.3410/B4-13. Epub 2012 Jul 2.
Vertebrate tissues comprise precise admixtures of parenchymal and hematopoietic cells, whose interactions are vital to proper tissue function. By regulating this interaction, vertebrates are able to mitigate environmental stress and coordinate dramatic physiologic adaptations. For instance, under conditions of chronic nutrient excess, leukocyte recruitment and activation increase in an effort to decrease excess nutrient storage and alleviate adipocyte stress. While basal equilibria may be reestablished upon normalization of nutrient intake, a new set point characterized by insulin resistance and chronic inflammation is established if the stress persists. Consequently, although this response is adaptive in settings of acute overfeeding and infection, it has catastrophic health consequences in the modern context of obesity. Understanding how leukocyte set points (numbers and activation status) are established, maintained, and regulated in tissues is, thus, critical to our understanding of, and intervention in, chronic metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
脊椎动物组织由实质细胞和造血细胞的精确混合物组成，它们之间的相互作用对于组织的正常功能至关重要。通过调节这种相互作用，脊椎动物能够减轻环境压力并协调显著的生理适应。例如，在长期营养过剩的情况下，白细胞募集和激活增加，以减少多余的营养储存并减轻脂肪细胞压力。虽然营养摄入正常化后可能会重新建立基础平衡，但如果压力持续存在，就会建立一个以胰岛素抵抗和慢性炎症为特征的新设定点。因此，尽管这种反应在急性暴饮暴食和感染的情况下具有适应性，但在现代肥胖背景下却会对健康造成灾难性后果。因此，了解白细胞设定点（数量和激活状态）如何在组织中建立、维持和调节，对于我们理解和干预肥胖和糖尿病等慢性代谢疾病至关重要。
