Distinct precursor landscape of subcutaneous and visceral fat in development and aging.

Abstract

White adipose tissue (WAT) is the primary energy storage organ and can be categorized mainly into subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Although all WAT accumulates triglycerides to store excess energy, VAT is associated with pathological conditions, whereas SAT is considered beneficial for metabolic health. In fact, SAT and VAT are from distinct developmental origins. Moreover, within these depots, there is heterogeneity in developmental origin and in adipose precursor population. In various conditions, such as obesity and aging, adipose tissue undergoes distinct changes. In aging, pathogenic VAT tends to increase, whereas protective peripheral SAT is known to be reduced significantly, but the mechanism driving this depot-specific reduction in SAT is not well understood. Here, we review recent research on depot-specific adipose precursor heterogeneity in SAT and VAT and new and distinct adipose precursor populations arising in SAT and VAT during aging to bring differential changes in adipose mass.