Depletion of Adipocyte Leads to Lipodystrophy and Metabolic Dysregulation.

/ is a core component of the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase required for autophagosome formation and vesicular trafficking. Although has been implicated in numerous diseases such as cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative disease, the role of in white adipose tissue and related metabolic diseases remains elusive. In this study, we show that adipocyte-specific knockout mice develop severe lipodystrophy, leading to adipose tissue inflammation, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance. Ablation of in adipocytes stimulates programmed cell death in a cell-autonomous manner, accompanied by elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress gene expression. Furthermore, we observed that depletion sensitized mature adipocytes to ER stress, leading to accelerated cell death. Taken together, these data suggest that adipocyte would serve as a crucial player for adipocyte survival and adipose tissue homeostasis.