美國(guó)科學(xué)家近日研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，“嬰兒”脂肪細(xì)胞（即未成熟脂肪細(xì)胞）潛伏在血管壁中,，等待著過(guò)剩的卡路里幫助它們長(zhǎng)成成年“魔鬼”,，增加人們的體重。這是首次發(fā)現(xiàn)這類(lèi)細(xì)胞的“巢穴”,，該結(jié)果有助于指導(dǎo)將來(lái)發(fā)現(xiàn)阻止這些細(xì)胞制造多余脂肪的方法,，并有望在其它醫(yī)療實(shí)踐上得到應(yīng)用。相關(guān)論文9月18日在線發(fā)表于《科學(xué)》（Science）雜志上,。
通常情況下,，祖細(xì)胞會(huì)在多種情況下制造新的脂肪細(xì)胞，比如當(dāng)年幼身體生長(zhǎng)并需要形成脂肪細(xì)胞的時(shí)候,。它們對(duì)于維持體重的穩(wěn)定也很必要,，老的脂肪細(xì)胞死去，必須由新的進(jìn)行補(bǔ)充,，然而,，當(dāng)熱量攝取過(guò)剩時(shí)，不僅現(xiàn)有脂肪細(xì)胞會(huì)變大以儲(chǔ)存更多脂肪,，祖細(xì)胞也會(huì)制造新的脂肪細(xì)胞,。
美國(guó)德州大學(xué)西南醫(yī)學(xué)中心的Jonathan Graff和同事利用遺傳手段令小鼠干細(xì)胞發(fā)熒光，據(jù)此發(fā)現(xiàn)這些未成熟脂肪細(xì)胞位于穿過(guò)脂肪組織的血管壁中,。Graff說(shuō)：“它們并不是附著在血管壁上,，而是成為了血管壁的一部分,。”他認(rèn)為，這種“安排”自有用意,，它能夠使未成熟脂肪細(xì)胞對(duì)餐后出現(xiàn)在血液中的葡萄糖等營(yíng)養(yǎng)元素作出響應(yīng),。當(dāng)感受到過(guò)剩熱量攝取時(shí)，它們就會(huì)從血管壁中凸現(xiàn)出來(lái),，成長(zhǎng)為成熟脂肪細(xì)胞,。這種安排確保了它們位于其它脂肪細(xì)胞間的適當(dāng)位置。
Graff表示：“此次發(fā)現(xiàn)具有理論和實(shí)踐的雙重意義,。鑒別出脂肪細(xì)胞祖細(xì)胞并發(fā)現(xiàn)它們的位置,，為我們提供了令人興奮的治療機(jī)會(huì)。我們也許能夠開(kāi)發(fā)出新的治療手段,，來(lái)幫助肥胖,、糖尿病以及其它代謝問(wèn)題的患者。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Science,，DOI: 10.1126/science.1156232,，Wei Tang，Jonathan M. Graff
White Fat Progenitor Cells Reside in the Adipose Vasculature
Wei Tang 1, Daniel Zeve 1, Jaemyoung Suh 1, Darko Bosnakovski 1, Michael Kyba 1, Bob Hammer 2, Michelle D. Tallquist 2, Jonathan M. Graff 3*
1 Department of Developmental Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, NB5.118, Dallas, TX 75390–9133, USA.
2 Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, NB5.118, Dallas, TX 75390–9133, USA.
3 Department of Developmental Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, NB5.118, Dallas, TX 75390–9133, USA.; Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, NB5.118, Dallas, TX 75390–9133, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Boulevard, NB5.118, Dallas, TX 75390–9133, USA.
White adipose (fat) tissues regulate metabolism, reproduction and lifespan. Adipocytes form throughout life, with the most marked expansion of the lineage occurring during the postnatal period. Adipocytes develop in coordination with the vasculature, but the identity and location of white adipocyte progenitor cells in vivo are unknown. We used genetically marked mice to isolate proliferating and renewing adipogenic progenitors. We find that most adipocytes descend from a pool of these proliferating progenitors that are already committed either prenatally or early in postnatal life. These progenitors reside in the mural cell compartment of the adipose vasculature but not in the vasculature of other tissues. Thus, the adipose vasculature appears to function as a progenitor niche and may provide signals for adipocyte development.
