Fat cells are the key to treating obesity

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have recently discovered that immature fat cells, or so-called 'newborn' fat cells, hide in blood vessel walls to nourish fatty tissue. They are waiting for the excess calories to grow to become big monsters that carry over their clients' excess weight.

Researchers have long known that newborn fat cells can reside near blood vessels, but they cannot determine their exact location. Finding out the existence of newborn fat cells, their shape and habitat may help future studies find a way to prevent these cells from creating unwanted adipose tissue, or They can be used in medical treatment, for example as a breast implant for women after performing lumpectomy (conservative treatment - surgical procedure used to separate lumps). Dr. Jonathan Graff, associate professor of developmental biology and molecular biology at UT Southwestern, and author of the study published in the online edition of Science, said: 'Discovery has both medium and intellectual significance. has important implications for treatment. Finding the precursor cells with their shelter will give us an interesting opportunity. '

'Since we can now isolate precursor cells, we can conduct molecular research and not only know their functions but also know how to harness their capabilities to help treat many diseases in humans. And since we've found their location, we can study therapy for people with obesity, diabetes or other metabolic diseases. '

According to Dr. Graff, soon we will be able to extract immature cells from each person's adipose tissue and then put those cells into another part of the body, where they will be useful in treating medical learn. For example, precursor fat cells in the abdomen or thighs can be inserted into a soldier's wound or scar after surgery for breast cancer. These cells can even be removed to cater to the aesthetic needs of each person. Typically, progenitor cells, called adult stem cells, create new fat cells in certain cases, such as when the body is growing and needing to form fat cells. They are also essential when the body's weight is stable, because fat cells will die and need to be replaced with new cells in most tissues in the body.

However, when caloric intake exceeds demand, not only are fat cells growing larger to store more fat, but precursor cells also create completely new fat cells.

Researchers have recently discovered that immature fat cells, or so-called 'newborn' fat cells, hide in blood vessel walls to nourish fatty tissue.They are waiting for the excess calories to grow to become big monsters that carry over their clients' excess weight.(Photo: iStockphoto / Ekaterina Monakhova)

In order to determine the location of the precursor cells, the researchers performed surgery in mice that made the luminescent stem cells green, making observations of precursor cells transform into cells. Perfect fat becomes easy.

Researchers found that precursor cells cling to blood wall of the blood running through adipose tissue.

'They are not necessarily clinging to blood vessel walls, they are even a constituent part of the vascular wall,' said Dr. Graff. This is perfectly reasonable because it allows cells to respond to nutrients such as glucose in the blood after a meal. When they sense excess energy, they break away from the walls of blood vessels and develop fat cells. This mechanism helps to ensure that they have a suitable place of residence among other fat cells.

Blue fluorescent light also allows researchers to separate precursor cells from other cells by a technique that helps separate luminescent cells.

They then nourished the cells in the culture plate to analyze some of their characteristics. They found that precursor cells have different molecular aggregates on the surface that allow cells to be easily separated for transplantation or research.

In additional studies, the scientists plan to understand the properties of the precursor cells more fully, and they will proceed to separate precursor cells by removing unwanted fat tissue. These cells will then be taken to other places on the body for regenerative purposes, or to treat the disease. They may even treat both obesity and diabetes although this sounds paradoxical.

Other researchers include lead author Dr. Wei Tang (postdoctoral researcher in developmental biology), graduate student Daniel Zeve, Dr. Jaemyoung Suh (postdoctoral researcher in developmental biology). ), Dr. Bob Hammer (biochemistry professor), Dr. Michelle Tallquist (assistant professor of molecular biology), Dr. Darko Bosnakovski (former postdoctoral research in developmental biology) and advanced Dr. Michel Kyba (former associate professor of developmental biology).

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Excellence for Education Foundation.