Over the last decade, the area of immunometabolism has gained greater prominence owing to advances in single-cell RNA sequencing technology and in the ability to target specific cell types with genetic mouse models, permitting a better understanding of the cellular heterogeneity of tissues. Although there is some evidence that the immune system actively participates in the modulation of metabolism in the liver, muscle, hypothalamus, and other tissues, the characterization of immune cells has been studied more intensively and is better understood in adipose tissue, where studies continue to provide information about the intersection of metabolism and the immune system.

The cellular composition of adipose tissue plays an essential role in the maintenance of homeostasis and tissue development. Adipose tissue is a specialized connective tissue composed of diverse cell types and is comprised of approximately 20-40% adipocytes and 60-80% stromal vascular cells, containing mesenchymal stem cells, fibroblasts, pericytes, smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. Adipose tissue is a central regulator of systemic metabolism, and numerous studies have shown that the cellular composition of the adipose tissue is a critical component in the tissue's ability to act as a metabolic equilibrium hub. Importantly, various immune cell types have been implicated in several different aspects of adipose tissue biology, including tissue homeostasis and regulation of adipose tissue function.

Discovering and understanding the role of adipose immune cells in different states, such as physiological processes or metabolic dysregulation, will lead to a greater comprehension of the full breadth of adipose-immune biology and the possibility of developing therapeutics for chronic metabolic conditions, including obesity and diabetes.

The current research topic aims to explore promising recent and novel research trends and techniques in the immunometabolism field related to the exciting relationship between adipose tissue and immune cells in different pathophysiologic contexts and with a focus on how the immune cells can control or interfere with whole-body metabolism. We welcome authors to submit original research, reviews, and mini-reviews focused on, but are not limited to, the themes below:

- Cellular heterogeneity in adipose tissues.

- Physiological changes in adipose immune cells (as a result of feeding, fasting, exercise, and changing external environments).

- Metabolic dysregulation and adipose immune cells (Obesity, Diabetes and Cachexia).

- Pleiotropic actions of adipose immune cells.

- Adipokines and/or Immunokines.

- Composition and functionality of adipose immune systems across different species (rodents vs. humans).

- New technologies to study immunometabolism (scRNA-seq, clearing tissue, spatial transcriptome).

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Endocrinology

Participating Journals

Impact