An integrated single cell and spatial transcriptomic map of human white adipose tissue

Single-cell studies of human white adipose tissue (WAT) provide insights into the specialized cell types in the tissue. Here the authors combine publicly available and newly generated high-resolution and bulk transcriptomic results from multiple human datasets to provide a comprehensive cellular map of white adipose tissue. To date, single-cell studies of human white adipose tissue (WAT) have been based on small cohort sizes and no cellular consensus nomenclature exists. Herein, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of publicly available and newly generated single-cell, single-nucleus, and spatial transcriptomic results from human subcutaneous, omental, and perivascular WAT. Our high-resolution map is built on data from ten studies and allowed us to robustly identify >60 subpopulations of adipocytes, fibroblast and adipogenic progenitors, vascular, and immune cells. Using these results, we deconvolved spatial and bulk transcriptomic data from nine additional cohorts to provide spatial and clinical dimensions to the map. This identified cell-cell interactions as well as relationships between specific cell subtypes and insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, adipocyte volume, and lipolysis upon long-term weight changes. Altogether, our meta-map provides a rich resource defining the cellular and microarchitectural landscape of human WAT and describes the associations between specific cell types and metabolic states.

Automated summary

Single-cell studies are conducted on human white adipose tissue (WAT) to understand the different cell types in the tissue. By analyzing multiple datasets, the authors create a comprehensive cellular map of white adipose tissue that includes over 60 subpopulations of adipocytes, fibroblast and adipogenic progenitors, vascular, and immune cells. They also discover associations between specific cell subtypes and metabolic states such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, adipocyte volume, and lipolysis. Overall, this meta-map provides valuable information about the cellular and microarchitectural landscape of human WAT.