Brown adipose tissue harbors a distinct sub-population of regulatory T cells

Dasa Medrikova; Tjeerd P Sijmonsma; Katharina Sowodniok; David M Richards; Michael Delacher; Carsten Sticht; Norbert Gretz; Tobias Schafmeier; Markus Feuerer; Stephan Herzig

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0118534

Brown adipose tissue harbors a distinct sub-population of regulatory T cells

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 25;10(2):e0118534. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118534. eCollection 2015.

Affiliations

¹ Joint Research Division Molecular Metabolic Control, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH) and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
² Helmholtz Young Investigator Research Group Immune Tolerance, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Center for Medical Research, University Clinics Mannheim, 68167, Mannheim, Germany.
⁴ Joint Research Division Molecular Metabolic Control, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH) and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; Institute for Diabetes and Cancer IDC, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, and Joint Heidelberg-IDC Translational Diabetes Program, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.

Abstract

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical determinants of both immune responses and metabolic control. Here we show that systemic ablation of Treg cells compromised the adaptation of whole-body energy expenditure to cold exposure, correlating with impairment in thermogenic marker gene expression and massive invasion of pro-inflammatory macrophages in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Indeed, BAT harbored a unique sub-set of Treg cells characterized by a unique gene signature. As these Treg cells respond to BAT activation upon cold exposure, this study defines a BAT-specific Treg sub-set with direct implications for the regulation of energy homeostasis in response to environmental stress.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adipose Tissue, Brown / immunology*
Adipose Tissue, Brown / metabolism
Adipose Tissue, Brown / pathology
Animals
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation
Inflammation / genetics
Inflammation / immunology
Inflammation / metabolism
Metabolic Networks and Pathways
Metabolome
Metabolomics / methods
Mice
Phenotype
Spleen / cytology
Spleen / immunology
Spleen / metabolism
T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism

Associated data

GEO/GSE62157

Grants and funding

This work was funded by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (HE-3260/8-1) and the EU-FP7 Collaborative Project DIABAT (HEALTH -F2-2011-278373) to S. H., Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HZ-NG-505 to M. F.), and the German-Israeli-Helmholtz Research School in Cancer Biology (to M. D.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.