Discovery of new immune process that regulates inflammation in human fat
may help manage obesity

Date:
March 9, 2022
Source:
Trinity College Dublin
Summary:
Scientists have just identified how specific immune cells can
work together in fat to cause inflammation that leads to weight
gain and obesity. Their work pinpoints new avenues to exploit the
regulation of that inflammation in fat tissue, thereby suggesting
new ways to manage obesity.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Irish and German scientists have just identified how specific immune
cells can work together in fat to cause inflammation that leads to
weight gain and obesity. Their work pinpoints new avenues to exploit
the regulation of that inflammation in fat tissue, thereby suggesting
new ways to manage obesity [Wednesday 9th March 2022].


========================================================================== There is a global epidemic in obesity in adults and children, with
obese people predisposed to develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease,
and cancer. New therapies are needed to help tackle this issue.

In their research, the scientists identified how "checkpoint proteins"
and immune cells alter inflammatory cells within the fat tissue to
cause obesity.

In people with obesity (Body Mass Index BMI> 30 kg/m^2) these changes
in checkpoint expression in the visceral fat was predictive of the
person's weight.

The scientists then showed that modifications in the so-called immune checkpoint proteins of mice on a Western "high fat" diet were linked to dramatic reductions in the development of obesity and diabetes.

The study, just published in the leading international biomedical journal Science Translational Medicine, was led by Professor Padraic Fallon from Trinity College Dublin's School of Medicine, and Dr Christian Schwartz,
a former EMBO Fellow in Trinity and now a Principal Investigator at the University Hospital Erlangen.

Prof. Fallon commented: "This new process of checkpoint regulation of
cells in visceral fat of obese individuals advances our understanding
of how the immune system controls diet-induced weight gain that can lead
to conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

"Our discovery has broader impacts on addressing how obesity influences
co- morbidity with other diseases, as shown in the COVID-19 pandemic,
where obese individuals that are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are more likely
to develop severe disease that requires intensive care and also have an increased risk of mortality." Dr Schwartz commented: "In our study, we analysed the function of immune checkpoints on specific cells and it is fascinating to see that a small change on one of many cell populations
in the fat has such an impact on the outcome of the disease. Only
through our basic research efforts using pre-clinical models, were we
able to gain access to patients' samples and link our findings to human disease. It will be interesting to investigate now how we can manipulate
this checkpoint on specific cell populations of interest to help people
with obesity." The study investigated inflammatory changes in patients
with obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, in collaboration with Dr
Andy Hogan (Maynooth University), Profs. Donal O'Shea and Helen Heneghan
(St Vincent's Hospital and University College Dublin) and Dr Christian
Krautz (University Hospital Erlangen).

The work was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the National Children's Research Centre, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research,
University Hospital of the University of Erlangen?Nuremberg and the
Else Kro"ner?Fresenius?Stiftung. Dr Schwartz was an EMBO Long-Term
visiting Fellow.

Dr Heike Hawerkamp is an Irish Research Council Fellow.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Trinity_College_Dublin. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Christian Schwartz, Viviane Schmidt, Andrea Deinzer, Heike
C. Hawerkamp,
Emily Hams, Jasmin Bayerlein, Ole Ro"ger, Moritz Bailer, Christian
Krautz, Amr El Gendy, Moustafa Elshafei, Helen M. Heneghan,
Andrew E.

Hogan, Donal O'Shea, Padraic G. Fallon. Innate PD-L1 limits T cell-
mediated adipose tissue inflammation and ameliorates diet-induced
obesity. Science Translational Medicine, 2022; 14 (635) DOI:
10.1126/ scitranslmed.abj6879 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309140831.htm

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