He Na, Li Yingjie, Liu Fabao, Dong Xifeng, Ma Daoxin
Advanced Medical Research InstiTabletute, Shandong University, Shandong, 250012, China.
Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong, 250012, China.
Cell Death Dis. 2025 May 19;16(1):401. doi: 10.1038/s41419-025-07721-x.
Obesity, resulting from excessive adipocyte accumulation, is a primary risk for various diseases. Although its impact on hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function has been reported, its effects on HSC differentiation remain controversial. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which catalyzes the attachment of N-acetylglucosamine to serine and threonine residues in proteins, acts as a metabolic sensor capable of regulating diverse physiological processes. This study demonstrates that obesity is associated with higher peripheral monocyte levels. Adipocyte OGT is crucial for monocyte development in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, promoting an increase in peripheral blood monocytes through transcriptional activation of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), a critical energy substrate. Loss of adipocyte OGT decreases serum NEFA levels, reduces white adipose tissue, and inhibits HSC differentiation into monocytes in HFD-induced obesity. Mechanistically, the regulated effect of adipocyte OGT on monocyte development may be mediated by NEFA-cluster of differentiation 36/fatty acid binding protein 4 (CD36/FABP4) pathway in HSCs in HFD-induced obesity. These findings establish the critical role of adipocyte OGT in hematopoietic homeostasis and monocyte development.
肥胖是由脂肪细胞过度积累引起的,是多种疾病的主要风险因素。尽管已有报道其对造血干细胞(HSC)功能有影响,但其对HSC分化的作用仍存在争议。O-连接N-乙酰葡糖胺转移酶(OGT)催化N-乙酰葡糖胺与蛋白质中的丝氨酸和苏氨酸残基结合,作为一种能够调节多种生理过程的代谢传感器。本研究表明,肥胖与外周血单核细胞水平升高有关。在高脂饮食(HFD)诱导的肥胖中,脂肪细胞OGT对单核细胞发育至关重要,通过转录激活非酯化脂肪酸(NEFA,一种关键的能量底物)促进外周血单核细胞增加。脂肪细胞OGT缺失会降低血清NEFA水平,减少白色脂肪组织,并抑制HFD诱导的肥胖中HSC向单核细胞的分化。从机制上讲,脂肪细胞OGT对单核细胞发育的调节作用可能由HFD诱导的肥胖中HSCs的NEFA-分化簇36/脂肪酸结合蛋白4(CD36/FABP4)途径介导。这些发现确立了脂肪细胞OGT在造血稳态和单核细胞发育中的关键作用。