Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Immunol Rev. 2024 Jul;324(1):42-51. doi: 10.1111/imr.13340. Epub 2024 May 11.
Adipose tissue stores excess energy and produces a broad range of factors that regulate multiple physiological processes including systemic energy homeostasis. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) plays a particularly important role in glucose metabolism as its endocrine function underpins food uptake and energy expenditure. Caloric excess triggers VAT inflammation which can impair insulin sensitivity and cause metabolic deregulation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) that reside in the VAT suppress inflammation and protect from metabolic disease. The cellular components of VAT and its secretory products play a vital role in fostering the differentiation and maintenance of VAT Tregs. Critically, the physiology and inflammatory tone of VAT exhibit sex-specific disparities, resulting in substantial VAT Treg heterogeneity. Indeed, cytokines and sex hormones promote the differentiation of distinct populations of mature VAT Tregs, each characterized by unique phenotypes, homeostatic requirements, and functions. This review focuses on key findings that have significantly advanced our understanding of VAT Treg biology and the current state of the field, while also discussing open questions that require further exploration.
脂肪组织储存多余的能量，并产生广泛的调节多种生理过程的因子，包括全身能量稳态。内脏脂肪组织（VAT）在葡萄糖代谢中起着特别重要的作用，因为其内分泌功能支撑着食物摄取和能量消耗。热量过剩会引发 VAT 炎症，从而损害胰岛素敏感性并导致代谢紊乱。驻留在 VAT 中的调节性 T 细胞（Tregs）可抑制炎症并防止代谢疾病。VAT 的细胞成分及其分泌产物在促进 VAT Tregs 的分化和维持中起着至关重要的作用。至关重要的是，VAT 的生理学和炎症特征表现出性别特异性差异，导致 VAT Treg 异质性显著。事实上，细胞因子和性激素促进了成熟 VAT Treg 的不同群体的分化，每个群体都具有独特的表型、稳态需求和功能。这篇综述重点介绍了一些重要的发现，这些发现极大地促进了我们对 VAT Treg 生物学的理解，以及该领域的现状，同时还讨论了需要进一步探索的开放性问题。
